One day after Senate Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart watched as the Senate Finance Committee tabled her bill aiming for net-zero emissions, the full senate approved a separate measure designed to slow climate change.
State senators voted 23-15 to send Senate Bill 48 to the house.
That party-line approval only unfolded after Democrats voted down seven Republican proposed amendments to the measure.
Just before the final roll call tally, Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez explained why she supports the measure.
“Our communities are increasingly vulnerable to environmental disasters and continuous poor air quality, whether it's wildfire smoke, water contamination, or extreme weather events," said Sedillo Lopez.
Every dollar spent on reducing pollution and improving air quality saves money in the long run on healthcare costs, lost work days, and emergency response to environmental disasters. We must take action to protect public health and ensure that New Mexican aren't left scrambling when disaster strikes.”
SB-48 would appropriate $340 million from the general fund for a long list of objectives, including reducing greenhouse gas, increasing electrical grid capacity, and transitioning the state away from dependence on the fossil fuel industry as a revenue resource.
Several Republican senators, including James Townsend, of Artesia, argued that the measure would harm the state’s oil and gas industry and its workforce while not doing enough to deal with natural disasters.
“ This bill in my opinion, is not good for New Mexico," Townsend said.
"It hurts my constituents. This bill is a direct attack on the industry that fuels our state. This appropriation does little, if anything, to prevent forest fires. What it does, it prevents our ability to react to it.”
Only one state in the U.S.—Texas—produces more fossil fuel than New Mexico. According to the Legislative Finance Committee, oil and gas revenue makes up about 25 to 30 percent of the state’s total general fund revenue in most years.
In closing comments, Stewart said she was disappointed that the no Republican Senators voted for the bill
“ It's a bit dismaying to think that people don't want to fund our communities that are asking for help mitigating wildfires, repairing after floods and wildfires. It's just embarrassing to me that so many would say 'no' to deliver funds to our communities.”
SB-48 next heads off for committee hearings in the other chamber, beginning with the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee.
