Led by YUCCA, PAA, and SWOP, environmental justice groups joined together to propose necessary amendments to HB6 - the "Clean" Future Act, but those amendments were ignored by the bill sponsors and it has been scheduled for its next hearing Monday at 8:30AM.
We are asking all climate activists to prioritize opposition to the false solutions enshrined in this bill and to CALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND BILL SPONSORS TODAY to demand the below amendments from the Environmental Justice Coalition:
The timeline should be moved up to 2023 in order to make the reduction targets by 2030 achievable, to comport with the science, and to initiate the consultation process which needs to start as soon as possible.
The removal of offsets and credits from the bill will only impact 10% of mandated reductions but vastly improve the bill by:
Protecting against unintended consequences and harmful impacts to Indigenous communities.
Avoiding investment in efforts that have proven ineffective at reducing emissions at best and counterproductive in some cases.
Make it more feasible to move the rule-making process up by eliminating the enormous burden of creating a credit accounting system.
3. Consultation needs to be strengthened. While we appreciate that the Indian Affairs Department was notified of the bill - we invite you to consider the obligations of consultation required under the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent doctrine and also the principles developed by this administration’s Climate Change Task Force. We’ve made amendments to strengthen consultation.
4. It is essential to track downstream emissions from oil and gas extraction in our state so we can understand how extraction and oil and gas production in our backyards is contributing to global climate emissions and integrate that knowledge into future climate policy development.
Carbon markets fail to reduce emissions and offsets harm Indigenous and frontline communities. Here are some studies detailing carbon market failures.
ON TUESDAY HYDROGEN IS BACK ON THE TABLE
SB 194, "Additional Energy Acts Definitions" is a sardonic twisted new definition of "renewables" to include hydrogen, which will increase methane and other climate altering emissions. While SB 194 does not include tax incentives like HB4, it was designed to trigger the expenditure of $150M already set aside in the pending appropriations bills by defining hydrogen production that emits up to 375 lbs of CO2 per 1MWh as "clean." The bill thwarts the people's will, and seeks once again to establish New Mexico as a hydrogen hub despite our overwhelming opposition.
SB 194 will be heard in Senate Conservation on Tuesday at 9:00AM. Together we succeeded in defeating the Hydrogen Development Hub Act. Together we can succeed again.
Please reach out today to committee members and urge them to VOTE NO when SB 194 bill comes up for a vote. Talking points are available here.
OTHER LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
HB 164, Uranium clean up passed HENRC 9-0!
HJR2 Environmental Rights ("green amendment") was amended and passed 6-4, party line vote. It goes next to House Judiciary.