This Saturday, the Energy Transition Act passed the Senate Conservation Committee on a 5-3 bipartisan vote! This landmark legislation would set the highest standards in the country for clean, carbon-free energy.
CVNM has worked tirelessly on this bill for over a year and we are so proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with AFSCME, the New Mexico Federation of Labor, the Operating Engineers union that represents San Juan coal miners, CAFE, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Environment New Mexico, Sierra Club, NRDC, Amigos Bravos, Western Resource Advocates, 350.org, Southwest Native Cultures, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Center for Civic Policy, ProgressNow New Mexico, and many, many others.
There continues to be disinformation being distributed about the Energy Transition Act, including disingenuous statements about how the Energy Transition Act won’t ensure the closure of the San Juan Generating Station. Our friends at ProgressNow New Mexico have posted about this disinformation here–we urge you to give it a read. In brief, the State Legislature cannot require a coal plant to close, any more than it can require a restaurant to close. What a legislature can do is assure that, if a coal plant (or restaurant) threatens human health, it must clean up to continue operating. That’s exactly what the Energy Transition Act does. By requiring the plant to reduce its post-2022 CO2 emission rate from 2300 lbs/MWh to 845 lbs/MWh, it sets an emission rate that no coal plant in the United States has been able to economically achieve. That is the best–and legal–way to achieve closure.
We support the Energy Transition Act because it:
- includes one of the strongest statewide clean energy standards in the country,
- provides $40 million to help San Juan County communities and coal mine workers thrive and transition when the San Juan Generating Station closes–more than double last year’s bill,
- aims to help the broader Four Corners region plan for greater economic diversity,
- includes workforce training for traditionally disenfranchised communities and apprenticeships in labor union jobs,
- protects ratepayers by providing a low-cost way for PNM to retire the coal plant, and
- ensures replacement power is open to a competitive bidding process.
Don’t let half-truths and misinformation dictate our clean energy future. Learn the facts about the bill and sign on as a Citizen Co-Sponsor to show our legislators and Governor that you support an equitable transition to a clean energy economy.»
The bill is heading to Senate Corporations Committee soon. Thank you for your continued support as we move forward with Governor Lujan Grisham and our allies on this nation-leading clean energy legislation!
