Seven Democrats joined with Republicans in the State Senate Wednesday to defeat keystone climate legislation to codify some of the country’s most ambitious climate legislation into law before Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham leaves office at the end of this year.
SB18, The Clear Horizons Bill, was written to make permanent several climate goals implemented by Lujan Grisham over her previous seven years in office through executive orders. Those goals include requiring the state to transition to 100% renewable energy on the grid by 2050. Without a law to make them permanent, the next governor, who takes office in Jan. 2027, can change or repeal those rules.
Republican senators called the bill’s standards, already being implemented under the governor’s executive orders, an “impossible-to-attain ‘zero emissions’ environmental mandate.” Business groups led by oil and gas interest groups lobbied heavily against the bill and launched big television and social media campaigns to warn of increased gas prices.
Senators Nicole Tobiassen (R-Albuquerque) and Larry Scott (R-Hobbs) filmed themselves dancing in celebration on the Senate floor after the vote.
Clearly Catastrophic ‘Clear Horizons’ SB 18 dies on the Senate floor.
This is what responsible legislating looks like.
Performance by: Sen. Nicole Tobiassen & Sen. Larry Scott#nmpol #deadandgone #undefeated pic.twitter.com/WyQx12Vmjx — New Mexico Senate Republicans (@NMSenate_GOP) February 11, 2026
Supporters were clearly disappointed Wed. when providing reaction to the final vote. “New Mexicans are already paying the price of pollution and climate-driven disasters through higher insurance costs, emergency response spending, and rising household expenses,” Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, the bill’s lead sponsor, said in a statement shared with New Mexico Political Report after the vote. “The Clear Horizons Act offered a responsible, transparent plan to reduce those risks and protect families over the long term. While today’s vote is disappointing, the need for planning ahead has not gone away.”
The Senate’s final vote was 19-23 in opposition to the bill. The official vote count was not yet confirmed by the Senate Clerk at publishing time but it will be updated here when it is available.