Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
New Mexico Faces Climate Bill Fight
Coverage from Capital & Main, Clean Air Task Force, and others
Articles
6
Latest Article
03/28
Active Days
69
Executive Summary
New Mexico lawmakers weigh a climate bill with offsets and carve-outs as oil revenue falls and disaster costs mount across the state.
- Lawmakers are revisiting a bill to codify emissions targets through 2050 after repeated failed attempts
- The proposal would allow certified in-state carbon offsets including soil improvements and carbon capture
- Sources emitting less than 10,000 metric tons a year would be exempt
- Environmental groups warn offsets can be hard to verify and may enable greenwashing
- Two bills passed to boost the Reclamation Fund and expand seismic monitoring
- The state has warned of $700 million to $1.6 billion in future cleanup costs
- Interim hearings put climate-related costs at more than $4 billion in budget requests, losses, and disasters
Quick Facts
- What: A revived climate bill and related oil and gas cleanup measures
- Where: New Mexico, mainly in Santa Fe and the Permian Basin
- Why: To codify emissions goals while addressing rising climate, revenue, and cleanup costs
- Who: New Mexico lawmakers, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, industry and environmental groups
- When: During the 2026 legislative session and 2025 interim hearings
Coverage Timeline: 69 Days
Featured Article
New Mexico lawmakers in January budget session in Santa Fe debated methane capture rules and funding for seismic monitoring.
Additional Articles
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New Mexico legislators in the 2026 session are revisiting a streamlined climate bill that codifies emissions targets using in-state carbon offsets amid declining oil revenues.
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New Mexico enacted 2026 clean energy measures including updated advanced energy tax credits, C-PACE financing, and appropriations for geothermal, grid modernization, and emissions data systems.
New Mexico presented the Clear Horizons Act as a governance approach to set climate goals and evidence-based emissions rules after record heat, low snowpack, and water constraints.
New Mexico lawmakers report that climate costs exceed mitigation costs in 2025, urging resilience budgeting and clean energy investments across the state.
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In February 2024 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, state senators rejected SB18, a greenhouse gas reduction bill, following intensive oil and gas industry lobbying.