Valentine weekend advocacy updates

Blessings this Valentine weekend. A gift we can give to those we love and to our Mother Earth could be an advocacy action below. Updates are as of Saturday, February 12, 2022. You are always welcome to contact committee members and your own legislators. Let us know if you have questions. Information at nmlegis.gov.

Federal Action from National IPL—Deadline, Feb 22.

In coordination with the Climate Action Campaign (CAC), IPL and some of our faith-based partners, are circulating this people of faith petition to Biden calling on him to keep his promise to take meaningful action on climate justice and do everything he can to get BBBA through the Senate.
CAC will deliver it, along with the rest of their signatures, via a Hill press event on 2/25. IPL will also get it to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The signer deadline is 2/22. We will send them a spreadsheet (they won’t add our names to any lists).

New Mexico Action

HB6 Clean Futures (Climate Change Bill) Fact sheet attached: House Government heard public comment but did not have time to finish discussion or take a vote before they went to the floor. They are scheduled to meet Saturday to continue discussion and vote.
NM Oil and Gas Association is running a $250K cable ad buy in opposition of HB 6. Conservation Voters just launched a Clean Future Act (HB 6) ad. Share if you choose.
HJR2 Environmental Rights or Green Amendment:  Green Amendment was tabled in House Judiiary by 9-3. Maya with Green Amendment encourages everyone to not to get disheartened, after a rest organizing for next legislative session will continue for the Common Good of communities and caring for Our Common Home.
HB37 CEED Low-Income Energy Efficiency Block Grant has made it through the House and is waiting to be heard in Senate Finance.
HB 127 Storage of Certain Radioactive Waste (Banning of Permitting for a High Level Waste Site) passed committees and is awaiting a House Vote.
HB 164 Uranium Mine Cleanup bill passed House committees.
SB 8 Voting Rights Provision passed Senate Committees and is ready to be heard on Senate Floor. –Please email your members
HB 228 Hydrogen Hub passed its committee. This bill has many environmental, climate and financially responsble stewardship and justice concerns. The new bill was brought forth after 3 previous hydrogen hub bills of various sorts did not pass through committees where many members of the public expressed concerns. This bill goes to the House floor for a vote, contact your legislator with your views, watch details at nmlegis.gov. The bill would:
— trigger the $125 million of taxpayer funds in the HB2 budget, giving that money to the New Mexico Finance Authority for grants to hydrogen projects. That’s about 7.5 times the budget of the entire Environment Department that would have to police this industry. While the tax credits and deductions are gone from previous iterations, HB228 still sets up public-private partnerships and provides access to multiple state economic-development incentive programs
–includes hydrogen (now 1.5kg CO2 equivalent per kg hydrogen produced) as “renewable energy” in the Renewable Energy Act, making the same changes to the Rural Coop Electric Act.
— rely upon third-party verification for its definitions of ‘clean’ hydrogen, hydrogen-produced electricity, responsibly sourced gas (now with 99% capture, but who is measure, and where?), carbon capture and sequestration. It says even less about any oversight of making all those effective.

Climate Can’t Wait Petition

Help circulate this Climate Can’t Wait petition calling on President Biden, his cabinet, and every member of Congress to do all they can to pass the $550 billion in climate investments. It will be delivered to the White House and Hill on February 25th along with thousands of other signatures collected by our partner groups.

Share this Facebook post and email the petition to your community. The signing deadline is February 23rd.

Community, conservation groups unified in opposition to fossil gas hydrogen bills

Community, conservation groups unified in opposition to fossil gas hydrogen bills

Prominent community and conservation groups today responded to ongoing legislative maneuvering to promote fossil-fueled hydrogen in New Mexico with taxpayer subsidies.

350 NEW MEXICO | CITIZENS CARING FOR THE FUTURE | CLIMATE ADVOCATES VOCES UNIDAS (CAVU) | CONSERVATION VOTERS NEW MEXICO (CVNM) | DEVIL’S SPRING RANCH | LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF NEW MEXICO | NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL MEMBER DANIEL TSO | NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER | NEW MEXICO INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT | PUEBLO ACTION ALLIANCE | SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE | SIERRA CLUB RIO GRANDE CHAPTER | SOCIAL ECO EDUCATION | SOUTHWEST NATIVE CULTURES | TÓ NIZHÓNÍ ÁNÍ | WESTERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER | WILDEARTH GUARDIANS

The New Mexico House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee tabled the Hydrogen Hub Development Act (HB4) due to its shortcomings on Jan. 27. This past weekend, Speaker Egolf resurrected HB4) in “dummy bill” HB227 and set it on a track to be considered only by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, which bill sponsor Rep. Lundstrom controls. That legislative maneuver invited swift backlash as an attempt to circumvent public engagement and proper consideration by the appropriate committees and, on

A House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee poll attended by nearly 300 people showed 73% opposition from the public to the original Hydrogen Hub Development Act, HB4. While the new fossil gas bill, HB227, makes changes to HB4, the thrust of the bill remains the same: It would provide fossil gas hydrogen developers and investors with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. This includes the Blackstone Group, which at roughly $881 billion is the world’s largest hedge fund, and, through Tallgrass Energy, acquired a 75% stake in the Escalante fossil-gas hydrogen project. At 3pm on Feb. 7 at the close of the floor session, Speaker Egolf removed HB227 from the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and placed it on the Speaker’s table, “where it will remain for the remainder of the session,” he said.

A similar bill, SB194, would change the state’s definition of “renewable energy” to encompass fossil gas hydrogen and is scheduled for consideration by the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 8.

Opponents to the various fossil gas hydrogen bills working their way through the New Mexico legislature have identified myriad problems that cannot be remedied in a rushed 30-day legislative session including:

    • The failure of state agencies to fairly and meaningfully engage with local people and communities with the most at stake as fossil gas hydrogen projects move forward.
    • The risk the state will lock in carbon-intensive fossil gas hydrogen under the premise that carbon capture and sequestration is an effective and immediately available tool to reduce climate impacts despite repeated failures around the world to deploy it at scale.
    • The fact that fossil gas hydrogen is rapidly being overtaken by other energy sources, including “green” hydrogen produced not from fossil gas, but water and renewable energy, and will likely prove uncompetitive by 2030, leaving New Mexico locked into harmful and uncompetitive fossil gas hydrogen technology.
    • The fact that fossil gas hydrogen will intensify demand for fossil gas production in New Mexico, adding to the cumulative stress of roughly 60,000 existing oil and gas wells, attendant production and pipeline infrastructure, and a legacy of orphaned and abandoned wells to the climate, land, public health, and communities, including in the Greater Chaco region.
    • An ill-advised “one step forward, one step back” approach to climate action where emergent state-level methane rules are used as a pretext to justify additional fossil gas exploitation.
    • The failure to target hard-to-decarbonize sectors and to instead shoe-horn hydrogen into sectors where it is inappropriate, such as electric power, home heating, and cooking.
    • Use of terms such as “clean hydrogen” and “responsibly sourced gas” that, like previous attempts with “clean coal,” attempt to greenwash fossil fuels and co-opt the energy transition in service of fossil fuel CEOs and investors.
    • A major distraction from higher-priority efforts to invest in renewable energy from the wind and sun, energy efficiency, and climate resilience.

“The administration’s and legislature’s approach to fossil gas hydrogen remains fatally and conceptually flawed,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center. “Fossil gas hydrogen remains an imprudent state investment. It risks locking in ever more carbon-intensive fossil fuel infrastructure at precisely the moment we urgently need to stabilize and diversify our revenue base and economy away from boom-and-bust oil and gas cycles.”

“We should be creating a future that our children can thrive in and be proud of,” said Demis Foster, executive director of Conservation Voters New Mexico. “New Mexico can have a diversified economy that works for all New Mexicans and that reflects our shared fundamental values of respect for our people and our air, land, water, and wildlife. New Mexico’s transition to a clean energy economy can create jobs that we would want for our children and grandchildren: jobs with good pay and advancement opportunities. The wind, solar, technology, and restoration industries can provide these jobs without worsening the climate crisis.”

“Oil and gas pollution disproportionately harms people of color, women, Tribal and land-based communities, immigrants, low or no-income earners, and communities dependent on extractive industries,” said Jessica Keetso, Tó Nizhóní Ání community organizer. “The Navajo Nation suffers some of the worst methane emissions and air pollution nationwide. Navajo people in these communities struggle with higher cancer risks, aggravated asthma, more emergency room visits, and missed school days. The fossil gas hydrogen bills would only worsen public health.”

“The oil & gas industry currently enjoys $20 billion per year in direct federal tax subsidies. Adding millions more in New Mexico state subsidies flies in the face of the ‘code red for humanity’ warning from the 2021 AR6 IPCC report on the climate crisis,” said Tom Solomon of 350 New Mexico. “The oil and gas industry must be committed to a managed decline, not propped up with New Mexico tax dollars.”

“The tax breaks in the bill run counter to the League’s desired tax policy principles of adequacy, efficiency, and equity,” said Hannah Burling, president of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico. “The increasing cost of tax expenditures means revenues may be insufficient to cover growing, recurring obligations.”

“The hydrogen concept currently being portrayed in New Mexico relies on fossil fuels and unproven carbon capture technologies that would worsen climate impacts and subsidize the fossil fuel industry,” said Mike Eisenfeld of San Juan Citizens Alliance. “Investments should be in the post-fossil fuel economy of the Four Corners region with community input.”

“We must pause on hydrogen development until we fully understand the complete impact of all hydrogen theories on our land, air and sacred water. As laws and regulations are developed, transparency is key in any democracy. Free, prior and informed consent is also key for voter education and key to obtaining voter support and buy-in for any proposed legislation that will affect their lives,” said Terry Sloan, director of Southwest Native Cultures. “Meaningful consultation and collaboration by our lawmakers are also key as it implies caring, empathy and moral and ethical intent for the good of the people. I love our New Mexico mountains, deserts, rivers and lakes and the fresh air we breathe. Keep our New Mexico democracy strong by informing us of all legislation, including amendments in a timely and respectful manner and allow for meaningful constituent consultation and collaboration and remember, New Mexico is a Sacred Site on Mother Earth.”

“Now is the time to open new doors to an economy where all communities thrive and New Mexico’s air, land, water, and wildlife are protected. Fossil gas hydrogen doesn’t fit the bill. In the final weeks of the legislative session, we urge the New Mexico legislature to focus on meaningful climate action,” said Kurt Gutjahr, CAVU executive director.

“The carbon capture and sequestration that HB227 developers rely on is not commercially available, and, as the Albuquerque Journal reported, the two “carbon-capture” hydrogen facilities in operation are emitting far more carbon pollution than they’re capturing,” said Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter director. 

“”Frontline community members in the Permian Basin know that regulation is scarcely enforced in our region and that methane pollution is and will continue to be a huge problem harming the health of our planet and communities in Southeast New Mexico,” said Kayley Shoup, community organizer with Citizens Caring for the Future. “That is why we stand firmly against incentivizing Hydrogen Production that utilizes natural gas and increases upstream methane emissions. Any claim that Blue Hydrogen is clean is simply a myth.”

“The New Mexico Environmental Law Center joins with many other environmental groups on sharing our deep concerns regarding the hydrogen bills, which are a false solution to the climate crisis,” said Virginia Necochea, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. “These bills would likely increase New Mexico’s continued dependence on oil and natural gas rather than investing in renewable energy, despite ongoing environmental health impacts. Any solution to the climate crisis must center those most impacted by environmental contamination and amplify the voices of communities who bear the brunt of the environmental policies that may harm them.”

“An investment in blue hydrogen consigns frontline community members like my family and me to a fossil fuel future because blue hydrogen is not a stepping stone to green hydrogen,” said rancher Don Schreiber of Devil’s Spring Ranch. “Blue hydrogen is a stepping stone to another 30 years of methane pollution on our doorsteps and in our faces.”

“This is nothing short of a corrupt giveaway to the fossil fuel industry,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians. “Saying climate destroying oil and gas is ‘clean’ is outright deceitful and a danger to New Mexico’s efforts to confront the climate crisis.”

“Indigenous, youth and frontline grassroots organizations came together today at the Santa Fe legislature to denounce the reintroduction of hydrogen. In our press statement, we nodded to the fact that our participation in democracy was undermined and that the people showed much opposition to all forms of hydrogen. We will not tolerate being ignored or not invited to the table about ‘climate solutions’ that continue the fossil fuel industry of New Mexico. Pueblo Action Alliance is against all false solutions and will continue to educate Pueblo and Indigenous communities about the harms of hydrogen production that utilize our sacred water resources” said Julia Bernal, director of Pueblo Action Alliance.

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