On Oct. 31, Environment New Mexico’s Lauren Ketcham joined Gov. Richardson as he announced a bold energy agenda focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The day before, the Governor’s Climate Change Advisory Group finalized its recommendation of key solutions aimed at reducing the state’s contribution to global warming.

Speaking before a large audience at Santa Fe Prep’s new energy- and water-efficient “green” library, Gov. Richardson announced his energy agenda for 2007, including two Environment New Mexico priorities: clean cars, and increasing our reliance on clean, renewable energy. Gov. Richardson also expressed his resolve for making New Mexico a national leader in clean energy and outlined a bold sustainable energy vision for the state.

“We applaud the governor for his leadership on clean energy and global warming,” said Lauren Ketcham of Environment New Mexico. “Win-win energy policy, like the governor has outlined, saves consumers money at the pump and on their utility bills, provides new and exciting opportunities for the state’s economy and reduces our contribution to global warming.”

Showing similar leadership, on Oct. 30, 40 leaders from across New Mexico finalized a comprehensive package of policies that will create new energy technologies and dramatically reduce global warming emissions. The Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG) included leaders from the state’s largest utilities—PNM and XCEL, oil companies including Conoco and BP, the Association of Counties, Ski New Mexico, Sierra Club, the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University.

After the meeting Dr. John Fogarty from Physicians for Social Responsibility said, “This is a historic event where business, industry, academia and the environmental community have all come together to solve one of the most pressing challenges of our time—global warming.”

Although 30 states have developed some type of Climate Action Plan, New Mexico is the first state with heavy oil and gas development to create a detailed roadmap that has near unanimous support from all sectors in the state. The CCAG unanimously passed 64 policies that could reduce emissions in New Mexico by 10 percent below 2000 levels by 2020.

A comprehensive plan

Some of the most important parts of the new plan include:

• A state-wide Clean Cars Program that will reduce air pollution and global warming emissions.
• An increase in the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard to 25 percent by 2020.
• A $23 million investment in energy efficiency and green buildings, with a focus on funding for energy-efficient public school buildings.
• A $3 million package of tax incentives for biofuels, energy-efficient appliances and the renewable energy industry.
• A commitment to work with the Construction Industries Division to improve building codes to reduce energy and water consumption.
• An endorsement of a $2.5 million investment in the Energy Savers program to help low-income New Mexicans.
• A tax cut for certified Energy Star appliances.
• A commitment to increase the state’s use of biofuels, like biodiesel.

Some of the major policies that were approved included expanding the state’s commitment to have more than 20 percent of electricity come from renewable sources, changing building codes to reduce fossil fuel use and a Clean Cars Program. In December, an Action Council composed of New Mexico Cabinet Secretaries reviewed these policies and then made final recommendations to Gov. Richardson.

“These two events mark a truly historic commitment to take decisive action at the state level to tackle the threat of global warming head-on. These decisions have laid a solid foundation for the upcoming legislative session and beyond,” concluded Ketcham.