Santa Fe, NM —Today, Senate Bill 18 'Clear Horizons & Emissions Codification' received a 'Do Pass' recommendation from the Senate Conservation Committee by a (5-4) vote. After hours of debate, public testimony, and Republican scrutiny, SB 18 now advances to its second committee– the Senate Tax, Business, & Transportation Committee.
SB 18 represents an arguably unattainable environmental initiative that would mandate zero emissions nearly statewide by the year 2050. This bill purports to merely codify Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's 2019 Executive Order to "Address Climate Change & Energy Waste Prevention," but sadly it will forcibly drive out our state's vital industries and future economic development. This legislation, if signed into law, mandates a complete reduction of all emissions from our state's industries, local governments, private companies, public utilities, and private citizens. This is an impossible task and highlights the absurdity of the radical 'Green Agenda' that has a chokehold on the New Mexico Legislature.
Senator Candy Spence Ezzell added, "You cannot mandate 'zero emissions' and expect farmers, ranchers, and industry leaders to do the impossible. They will simply leave our state when faced with this ludicrous and scientifically impossible mandate. New Mexicans need to understand that when we pass radical legislation like this, our state will feel harsh and devastating consequences that Democrats in Santa Fe refuse to acknowledge and actively ignore at your expense!"
"It's simple: passing this legislation will kill New Mexico's economic future, and the sponsors of the bill know it," said Senator Larry Scott. "This attack on logic, science, and industry is purely a 'virtue signal' to radical environmentalists at the cost of billions in future state revenues, countless New Mexico jobs, and the future of our state as we know it."
In debate with Senator Ant Thornton, the bill's sponsor, Senator Mimi Stewart, admitted that the legislation would not have a significant or measurable impact on the climate. "Senate Bill 18 ignores science–even if we truly attained 'zero emissions,' it would not make a measurable impact on the world's C02 levels," said Senator Ant Thornton. "The numbers are just not there; no one is saying that we should not continue to work towards innovative means to ensure cleaner and more efficient energy, but we don't have to destroy our state's future in that pursuit. I will continue to oppose this devastating legislation while simultaneously trusting real science, real data."
