CVNM’s 2026 Legislative Agenda 2nd Edition

This agenda is divided into three sections:

1. Priorities for New Mexico state budget appropriations
2. Pro-Conservation Legislation that we support
3. Anti-Conservation Legislation that we oppose

**Starred bills are high priority. Votes on these measures may be weighted on CVNM’s Conservation Scorecard.

1. Priorities for New Mexico State Budget Appropriations

In this budget session, we are continuing our support for a safe and healthy New Mexico, from funding to protect our water resources to critical agency funding. As with most years, we are encouraging our finance committees to support all environmental agencies’ operating budget requests. These agencies are at the heart of tackling climate change and need adequate funding, enforcement capacity and staff to make a difference.

We would like to thank the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and their analysts for working tirelessly to produce a robust and impressive draft of HB 2. In this draft, many of our priority special appropriations requests were included. Many of our critical water programs are recommended to get the largest appropriations that they have ever received. Some of those include: $15 million for the Strategic Water Reserve Fund; $15 million to support the River Stewardship conservation projects program; and $22 million for NM Tech to work on much needed aquifer mapping and characterization throughout the state. We continue to advocate for and support the State Forestry Department’s funding needs, including $50 million for the Wildfire Prepared Fund and funding for critical upgrades to the Santa Fe office. CVNM was also very excited to see $100 million appropriated to the Office of the Natural Resource Trustee for land creation, expansion, or restoration projects, including up to $30 million in state matching funds for federal assistance due to natural disasters. In addition, we support the inclusion of $30 million to fund homelessness and housing programs: data infrastructure, vouchers, eviction prevention support, and homelessness prevention mechanisms. CVNM knows that those who experience the worst, and most rapid impacts of climate crises are those who bear the elements without protective structures. Finally, we continue to advocate for funding the office of the Secretary of State to the full extent of their request. In a moment when the Federal government is looking for excuses to interfere with the sovereign right of states to run their own elections, it is more important than ever to ensure that New Mexico elections run flawlessly and securely. 

These are just a few of the many special appropriations that were included in the version of HB 2 now in front of the Senate Finance Committee. We look forward to working with them, and ensuring that these critical investments in our state are prioritized and included in the final version of HB 2.

2. Pro-Conservation Legislation we support 

Below you will find legislation that not only addresses the climate and biodiversity crisis but also protects our civil liberties, and democracy. CVNM is committed to protecting our air, land, water, wildlife and communities for a healthy and safe New Mexico.  Our vision is for New Mexicans to thrive in just, resilient communities where our conservation and cultural values guide our decision-makers and public policies.

House Bills

HB 21: Land Grant-Merced and Acequia Infrastructure Act (Garcia/Jaramillo/Serrato/Campos) HB 21 would create a Land Grant-Merced Fund and an Acequia Infrastructure Trust Fund that would evenly support a Land Grant-Merced Project Fund and an Acequia Infrastructure Project Fund for underfunded infrastructure projects. The Legislative Finance Committee estimates this could generate approximately $23 million per fund each year. Currently, several acequia infrastructure projects lack the funding they need, making this a critical investment for acequia and land-grant communities to address their needs. Passing this legislation would allow us to continue supporting and protecting our traditional communities and their economies. SUPPORT

HB 62: Rename & Create Geothermal Tax Credits (Roybal Caballero/Woods/Murphy/Ferrary/Berghmans) Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source, but will require continued investment to achieve our state’s climate goals. New Mexico is ranked 6th in the nation for geothermal potential, and tax incentives will help create a pathway for the state to realize that potential. HB 62 creates a new geothermal electricity generation tax credit and corporate tax credit. These types of incentives are designed to encourage the construction of geothermal electricity generation facilities. This measure would help grow New Mexico’s renewable energy infrastructure with significant renewable base energy production. SUPPORT

HB 63: NMFA Water Project Fund Projects (Cates/Block/Campos) HB 63 allows the Department of Finance Authority to make loans or grants to fund essential state water projects, as outlined under the water trust board. This funding will support various projects across New Mexico, from supporting soil and water conservation districts to water conservation and flood-prevention initiatives. The funding for these projects is elevated in SB 187, calling for a transfer of money to this fund. SUPPORT

HB 111: Water Law Violation Maximum Penalty (Ortez/Stewart/Romero/Stefanics/Townsend) The penalty for overusing or diverting water has been nominal and unchanged since 1907. HB 111 would bring up the fee for overusing water rights, and provide the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) an effective enforcement mechanism to discourage overuse of water. Supporting our water agencies in their ability to monitor and enforce water rights will help the state in addressing the water crisis. Doing so will ensure that vulnerable communities and our water rights are protected. SUPPORT

HB 124: New Americans Division in WSD (Parajón/Nava/Szczepanski/Lara/Gurrola) This bill will codify an existing division within the Workforce Solution Department. The New Americans Division focuses all of its effort on helping non-citizens integrate into the economy, navigate international license transfers, identify ways for non-citizens to play roles in promoting New Mexican economic development priorities, and support them in their journey to citizenship. In order to meet climate and conservation goals, New Mexico must embrace a whole-of-society approach to economic development and economic transition, leaving no group out. SUPPORT

HB 153: Low-Carbon Construction Material Rebate Act (Dixon/Ortez/Small) Construction materials, like cement and steel, account for 30-40% of global climate emissions. With such a substantial contribution to the climate crisis, it is imperative the state take steps to reduce the carbon footprint of this sector. HB 153 establishes an independently verified “environmental product declaration,” a life-cycle assessment of a product’s potential greenhouse gas emissions expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents over a 100-year time line. The declaration would make it easier to compare the environmental impacts of products that perform the same construction function. The bill would also define “low-carbon construction material” to mean a covered construction material with a global warming potential at or below the emissions benchmark established by the New Mexico Environment Department. SUPPORT

HB 178: Sun Shades for Rural Parks & Recreation (Mason) As climate-induced extreme heat becomes more common, many New Mexicans seek refuge from high temperatures in state parks and recreation areas. However, without adequate shade, temperatures above 80 degrees in combination with direct sunlight can quickly cause heat stroke and other illnesses. Ensuring that our parks are climate-ready with shade structures is essential for community resiliency and public health. HB 178 would help provide those structures and help support the health of our communities. SUPPORT

HB 184: Investment of Conservation & Legacy Funds (Small/Chatfield/Sanchez) HB 184 makes necessary updates to the Land of Enchantment Legacy (LOE) fund from 2023 and 2024. It moves the LOE and related matters from Chapter 75, Section 12 – Miscellaneous Natural Resource Matters, Legacy Funds, to Chapter 6, Article 4 – Public Finances, State Funds and Capital Programs. This is the logical place for the LOE. The rest of the bill recompiles the Act into the new Chapter and Section. The bill also clarifies the role of the Department of Finance and Administration in administering the LOE and making annual distributions as outlined in the bill in specific amounts to specific agencies and programs. SUPPORT

HB 186: Tax Credit for Conveyance of Property (Herrera/Dow/Gonzales)

HB 186 will update and increase the caps on tax credits offered to those interested in creating and developing conservation easements on their working lands. This change will allow more small-scale landowners and farmers to utilize this program to keep New Mexico heritage alive. Conservation easements benefit agricultural land, wildlife habitat, watershed health, and even sensitive cultural sites throughout our state. SUPPORT

HB 254: Avoided Gasses in PRC Cost Test (Ortez) HB 254 makes a single change to the Efficient Use of Energy Act (2005) that would allow the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) to include the value of avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when determining the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency and load management measures undertaken by investor-owned utilities like PNM. The 2005 Act mandates that utilities undertake these measures, but the PRC must first determine their cost-effectiveness and that the measures provide benefits across all customer classes. The 2005 Act mandates that utilities undertake these measures, but the PRC must first determine their cost-effectiveness and whether they provide benefits across all customer classes. The Act also includes periodically amended targets for customer savings and energy demand reductions. Allowing credit for GHG emissions offers further incentive for utilities to increase measures that will continue the state’s energy transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. SUPPORT

HJR 3: Environmental Rights, CA (Ferrary/Roybal Caballero/Sedillo Lopez/Hernandez) HJR 3 would constitutionally mandate that state and local decision-makers protect the environmental rights of all New Mexicans. This would give communities experiencing environmental injustice legal recourse to protect the air and water they breathe, and ensure that government decisions prioritize environmental protection for all. SUPPORT

HJR 5: Legislative Compensation, CA (Parajon/Rubio/Abeyta/Nava/Charley) ** This resolution would amend the New Mexico constitution to allow for compensation for legislators. The salary would be set at the annual median household income of New Mexico. The salary cannot be raised unless the annual median income goes up, and the salary will go down if the annual median income goes down. The implementation of the salaries would not kick in until 2029. 

New Mexico is the last state in the Union to have an unpaid, volunteer citizen legislature. By paying legislators New Mexico will benefit from more ordinary, working New Mexicans having the ability to step up and represent their communities in the Roundhouse, which strengthens our democracy and greatly benefits civil society. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

Senate Bills 

SB 18: Clear Horizons & Emissions Codification (Stewart/Ortez/Charley/Romero/Nava)** New Mexico’s families and communities are already facing rising costs associated with climate impacts, including increased insurance premiums, higher public health burdens, and growing disaster response expenses. CHA helps New Mexico plan ahead for cleaner air, lower long-term costs, and a more stable future – instead of paying more later as climate impacts worsen.

The Clear Horizons Act (CHA) is a long-term planning law that puts New Mexico’s climate pollution reduction goals into statute and gives state environmental agencies clear authority to measure, track, and guide progress over time. CHA sets in law limits on how much greenhouse gases New Mexico can emit, aiming to greatly reduce pollution by 2030, even more by 2040 and to stop it completely by 2050. Rules adopted under CHA apply only to large industrial sources that leak 10,000+ metric tons of pollution per year or groups of sources under common ownership emitting 25,000+ metric tons of pollution per year combined. 

The Clear Horizons Act:

• Focuses on large industrial sources of pollution
• Improves public health by reducing pollution that worsens asthma, heart disease, and smoke exposure
• Supports clean energy jobs and long-term economic competitiveness
• Provides certainty and predictability for communities, businesses, and state agencies

Communities across New Mexico, like Ruidoso and Mora, have experienced the increasing impacts of wildfires, drought, and extreme heat. These conditions place particular strain on workers, children, seniors, and local governments responsible for emergency response and recovery.

The Clear Horizons Act responds to the real and growing costs New Mexicans are already paying as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe. New data presented to legislators during the interim shows that climate-driven disasters are placing increasing strain on both household budgets and state finances. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

SB 40: Driver Privacy and Safety Act (Wirth/Chandler/Nava/Berghmans/O’Malley)** With political polarization and violence on the rise, individuals are also increasingly being targeted for peacefully protesting their first amendment rights. SB 40 will prevent personal information from being used by bad actors who aim to suppress free speech and political discourse by preventing government entities from using license plate data and readers to track and intimidate peaceful protesters. New Mexico has continued to stand strong in our values; supporting & protecting communities who experience oppression the most, including LGBTQ people, immigrants and those who seek reproductive healthcare; those who experience climate disasters firsthand, and often. SB 40 would ensure that New Mexicans are protected from hostile governments neighboring our state by ensuring they cannot access this information to harm New Mexicans.**PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

SB 46: Explore Diversion of Organic Waste (Campos/Stefanics) The EPA estimates that landfills are the third-largest source of human-caused methane emissions in the United States. A key way to reduce this carbon footprint is to reduce the waste that ends up in landfills through composting or recycling. SB 46 would allocate a small amount of funding ($130,000) to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to explore a composting program for New Mexico. NMED would explore pollution reduction and cost-saving opportunities resulting from the diversion of organic waste from the solid waste stream and conduct a waste characterization study to assess the current types and quantities of solid waste, organic waste and composting feed stock produced and disposed of in the state. SUPPORT

SB 47: Food Recovery & Composting Act (Campos/Stefanics) Studies estimate that composting could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills by more than 50%, especially if conducted on a community-wide scale. SB 47 would create a food recovery and composting program in the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to provide grants, education and outreach to advance composting and organic waste reduction across the state. Funding for a new food recovery and composting fund would come from a surcharge of $3.00 per ton of solid waste processed at each solid waste facility in the state. Many other local programs exist that will allow for drop-off or pick-up of organic waste, and many other cities throughout the United States have adopted composting programs. SUPPORT

SB 53: Community & Health Info Safety & Privacy Act (Charley/Jaramillo/Chandler/Anaya/Herndon)** In today’s age of rampant misinformation, disinformation, and political polarization, the ability of the public to access fact-based information and exercise their first amendment rights is crucial for the stability of our democracy. Right now, public data is currently being sold without consumer consent to corporations who then use that data to track the public or share targeted and biased or misleading information to sow disruption or disbelief in our democratic systems. SB 53 will require companies to protect consumer data by establishing default privacy settings to the highest level, and provide clear information to the public about how their privacy settings work. It also requires systems to protect minor users, disable contact from unknown people, and disable notifications. It prohibits brokerage of harvested personal data without a consumer opt-in, and it prohibits geolocation tracking without notification. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

SB 55: Solar Market Income Tax Credit (Stewart/Szczepanski/O’Malley/Stefanics/Tobiassen) SB 55 would help to fill a necessary gap left by the federal government in solar tax rebates to New Mexicans. It increases the amount that people can get back for installation of solar panels, and continues to support eligibility and access to solar power for more people in our state. As one of the sunniest states in America, it is imperative that we take advantage to support our move to a cleaner New Mexico, and ensure as many people as are interested in utilizing renewable energy have a reasonable and affordable way to do that. SUPPORT

SB 66/SB 226: Abandoned Uranium Mine Cleanup (Steinborn/Pinto/Charley/Shendo/Johnson)** SB 66 would appropriate $50 million from the General Fund to the NM Environment Department in fiscal years 2027 through 2029. The department would continue its work to assess and clean up abandoned or neglected contaminated sites, across the state that do not have viable responsible parties to fund and conduct cleanup actions. New Mexico has hundreds of abandoned uranium mines, primarily on Navajo Nation lands, left from intense Cold War-era mining with significant radioactive contamination affecting air, water, and health. Affected communities have asked for decades for help cleaning up these sites, with historically minimal action beyond mostly flawed federal EPA Superfund projects and recent NMED efforts to address the problem. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

SB 104: Removal of Wildlife Commission Members (Wirth/Campos/Small/McQueen/Brantley) ** In 2025, the legislature passed SB 5, though not the specific part of that legislation updating the removal process for the Wildlife Commission. Currently in New Mexico, a variety of commissions have a uniform removal process, and this bill seeks to apply that process to the Wildlife Commission. If a commissioner is deemed unfit for their position (by way of incompetence, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office), the Governor can initiate the removal process. From there the commissioner will be notified of a hearing, where they may comment, before the supreme court then decides whether or not removal is appropriate. The supreme court decision is final. This allows for a more unbiased and just viewpoint within the removal process. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

SB 110: Bosque Management Projects (Stefanics/Sanchez/Charley) SB 110 asks for a special appropriation of $15 million to support management and other projects in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. These projects can range from wildfire mitigation, to riparian restoration work, to removal of invasive species along the river, all of which can be extremely beneficial to river and streambed health. SUPPORT

SB 122/HB 183: Private Drinking Water Well Owner Support (Campos/Zamora/Gonzales) Many people throughout New Mexico have their own drinking water wells, but not all of those people have the means or ability to test their water source. With the increased prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our land and water, it is imperative that people have access to testing that can shed light on potential pollutants in their drinking water system. SB 122 would help fund support to test water wells, which could greatly support rural and lower income well owners. SUPPORT

SB 154: Insurance Coverage for Wildfire & Floods (Duhigg/Chandler/Gonzales) As New Mexico continues to see increased wildfire occurrence, we are also seeing the array of damage related to those fires increase and be more devastating for more people. This bill would help support those who have wildfire coverage, to now also have post-fire flood coverage included in their insurance coverage for their property. This kind of coverage is extremely important to ensure that communities susceptible to post-fire flooding can be protected. SUPPORT

SB 189: Reproductive Health Care Coverage (Berghmans/Hamblen/Stewart/Stefanics) Extreme heat and natural disasters from the climate crisis have been found to exacerbate stress and mental health, leading to increased incidents of domestic and sexual violence, bullying and hate crimes. This has been widely documented following natural disasters like wildfire, floods, and hurricanes. The state has a responsibility to ensure New Mexico communities remain resilient in the climate crisis, and a key part of this is ensuring people have the resources they need to survive and thrive despite the harmful ways climate is impacting society. SB 189 will ensure that individuals most frequently targeted by violence and bullying, especially following climate disasters, have access to the essential health care resources they need. SUPPORT

SB 193: Acequia & Ditch Infrastructure Fund Transfer (Campos/Jaramillo/Gonzales) The Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF) is the only recurring stream of funding for acequia infrastructure. SB 193  would double the funding allocation from $2.5 million to $5 million to help ensure that acequia communities have adequate funding for necessary infrastructure projects. SUPPORT

SB 198: Las Vegas Endangered Species Hatchery (Campos) SB 198 would appropriate $10 million to the Department of Game & Fish to plan, construct and execute an aquatic endangered fish hatchery facility in Las Vegas. Protection of endangered species is a key component of water, land and ecosystem health and protection. Finding creative solutions to help bolster their populations is a simple way that we can support and even improve the populations of endangered species. SUPPORT

SB 235: Microgrid Oversight Act (Steinborn/Sedillo Lopez)** Microgrids, also referred to as “self-source generation resources,” are multiplying rapidly in New Mexico alongside the rapid expansion of larger data centers. Investors in these data centers are pushing for methane gas-fired electricity as the primary power source. Current policy excludes microgrids from adhering to the same greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions that public electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives must attain to reach 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045 and 2050, respectively. SB 235 would address this issue by requiring microgrids to attain 100% zero-carbon electricity generation by 2045 through steady investment in renewable and zero-carbon resources, or to cease operation. The bill would also prohibit the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) from approving a public electric utility’s purchase of a microgrid if the costs of microgrid development would increase customer bills. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted SUPPORT

 SJR 1: School Election Timing, CA (Trujillo/Figueroa)This resolution would amend the New Mexico Constitution to remove the language that requires school elections to be held at different times than partisan elections. This change would, in effect, allow school elections to be folded into regular elections, which would increase participation in and awareness of school elections. This resolution would be beneficial to New Mexican democracy and civic engagement. SUPPORT

3. Anti-Conservation Legislation we oppose

The following bills pose risks to New Mexico’s families, communities and taxpayers. They may do so by encouraging pollution, weakening critical safeguards, or supporting activities that threaten our air, land, water or democracy.

 

 

House Bills

HOUSE BILLS:

HB 207: Water Quality Commission Produced Water Rules (Brown/Mason/Murphy/Henry/Cortez) A waste product from the oil and gas industry, produced water contains hundreds of known and unknown chemicals. Many of these chemicals are toxic to human health and the environment, including carcinogens and radioactive pollutants. New Mexico does not currently have surface water quality standards for at least 180 potentially toxic chemicals found in oil and gas wastewater. Once these chemicals contaminate water, it is impossible to fully reclaim it based on currently available technologies. The use of produced water has already been heavily debated and analyzed by the Water Quality Control Commission, which promulgated a rule in May 2025 that prohibits the discharge of produced water into streams, rivers, and groundwater for five years. HB 207 would circumvent the weeks of deliberation, thoughtful and deep public engagement, and expert analysis that went into the WQCC’s decision by mandating the state allow for the discharge of water anyway. OPPOSE

Senate Bills 

SB 78: Nuclear Energy as Renewable Energy (Thornton/Dixon/Brown/Tobiassen) Nuclear fission energy is not a renewable energy source. The intensity and invasiveness of the mining operations that are required to mine the materials needed for this type of energy are incredibly destructive to the environment and the communities around mining and waste disposal sites. Nuclear mining and waste disposal is also a legacy issue in New Mexico, and has had a lasting impact on the native and minority communities throughout the state. Nuclear energy is not a renewable form of energy. OPPOSE

NONE