The New Mexico Environment Department released a draft rule this week to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and petitioned the Environmental Improvement Board to adopt these regulations.
The draft rule comes after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill in 2024 that required a gradual reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels.
The goal is to reduce the carbon intensity of fuel produced, imported or dispensed in New Mexico to at least 20% below the 2018 levels by 2030 and by at least 30% below 2018 levels by 2040.
“Under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s leadership, New Mexico is diversifying its economy while addressing climate emissions — proving once again you don’t have to choose between the two,” Environment Secretary James Kenney said in a statement.
The draft regulations are intended to be technology-neutral and provide an offset market with credits to help businesses meet the requirements.
However, opponents say the clean transportation fuel standards could raise the price of gasoline and disproportionately harm low-income and rural communities.
Proponents say the regulations could help strengthen and diversify the economy by creating new opportunities in the alternative fuels market and by attracting investments in emerging industries such as hydrogen and propane produced from non-fossil fuel sources.
A public comment period will likely begin in mid-June and is anticipated to last 60 days.
States with similar regulations include California, Washington and Oregon.
The “Green New Deal” is toast. Squeezing oil and gas may be against new Federal Regulations. This idea will cost NM taxpayers millions right when Trump is fighting to lower costs. Wake up folks !! Flip NM Red
The need to reduce our dependence on Fossil Fuels is more urgent than ever. If you just watch a daily weather report and nothing else, then you should understand that extreme “record-breaking” weather events are now a very common occurrence across our country and the world. Yet uninformed folks who only view the world through the lens of money offer the same, short-sighted approach….keep going in the same direction, often saying the price of gas will go up or the economy will be hurt. Yet, they fail to mention the cost of the extreme fires, drought, deadly tornados, flooding, etc. How do these events impact our communities, especially the rural, poorer communities that struggle to rebuild once their homes are gone. This is climate change, this is killing us and our planet now and if we don’t deal with this scientific fact, then all the cheap gas in the world will not help us in the long-term. Thank you Governor!!
I constantly shake my head over the gullibility of the so called greens. CO2 is not the culprit. SAI and SRM sun dimming Bill Gates plans are the problems that should be stopped.