AP News (Jan. 11, 2022) – New Mexico’s Democratic governor on Monday renewed her call for state legislators in the major oil producing state to approve requirements for fuel producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that “New Mexico must pass a clean fuel standard in the upcoming legislative session.”
The governor has discretion over which nonbudgetary initiatives are heard during the 30-day legislative session that starts Jan. 18.
In 2021, a Democrat-sponsored bill to impose low-carbon fuel standards stalled in the state House of Representatives after winning Senate’s endorsement on a party-line vote with Republicans in opposition. The proposal would not have applied to retailers, including gas stations.
Similar programs have been implemented in California and Oregon. Low-carbon fuel standards are aimed at reducing greenhouse emission in the transportation sector by going beyond vehicle fuel efficiency requirements and setting benchmarks for fuel producers or importers or both.
AP: New Mexico Governor Seeks Low-Carbon Fuel Standard
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Clean Fuel Standards Act Targets GHG Emissions in New Mexico
