New Mexico is set to fall far short of its climate goals unless it makes some big policy changes in the coming years. That’s according to a new report from the nonprofit advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund.
The report finds that the state is projected to reduce emissions by just 1% by 2025, much less than the goal of 26% outlined in an executive orderGovernor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed in 2019. That order also has a goal of reducing emissions by 45% by 2030, but the report found New Mexico is on track to only reach a 13% reduction.
Alex DeGolia is the director of the US climate program at Environmental Defense Fund. He said that the state has taken a number of important first steps to cut emissions, like working on clean car rules. But, he says it needs to move faster.
“The state has yet to put in place firm enforceable limits on climate pollution that would then lead to regulatory action at the scale necessary to reduce emissions consistent with those targets,” he said.
The report also recommends the state make more use of its authority to regulate pollutants under the Air Quality Control Act and expand relevant departments so they have the capacity to carry out directives.
Earlier this year New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney told KUNMthe federal government is going to move forward with addressing high levels of ozone in parts of the Permian Basin by the end of this year, ramping up air quality regulations in the highly productive and profitable oil and gas region. But he said the state is ill-equipped to take on the additional work,
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