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While many states, not to mention the entire United States federal government, are still bickering about the role, amount and place of carbon emissions caps in legislative efforts, New Mexico quietly and effectively passed aggressive carbon emissions cap legislation this month. By a vote of four to one (and wait until we find you, Mr. or Ms. Dissenter), the New Mexico Environmental Board (EIB) voted to adopt a new state pollution limit requiring the state’s largest carbon emitters to reduce their CO2 emissions by three percent per year from their levels in 2010 starting in 2013.
Of course, if you are an apocalypse believer, that’s a year too late and our bad carbon footprint practices will have already led to the world’s destruction by then. But onward march!
The ruling is the end result of a two-year petition process. Part of the reason for the long turn around is both sad and humorous. EIB had to work on an approved regional cap-and-trade program that finally passed on election night. What election night, you ask? The same election night when Republican Susana Martinez was elected as New Mexico’s next governor. And guess what club Martinez belongs to? The one that “seriously doubts” that global warming is attributable to human causes. EIB felt pressured to push the cap-and-trade through in time.
The new ruling will apply to stationary sources (ie not vehicles) that emit more than twenty-five thousand metric tons of CO2. Most of those locations are electric power plants, refineries and natural gas processing and compression facilities.
Said Mariel Nanasi, Senior Policy Advisor for New Energy Economy (NEE) who championed the legislation, “This new policy makes New Mexico the nation’s leader in carbon pollution reduction while at the same time stimulating our economy and creating jobs for New Mexico families and communities. The board understands that the same technologies that can reduce carbon pollution can also make New Mexico more competitive in the clean energy economy, which means more long-term, well-paying jobs for New Mexicans.”
Happy New Year, New Mexico! We hope you get all of the green jobs you could dream of as a reward for taking global warming seriously!
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