NEW MEXICO

New Mexico, the Enchanted State, is home to over 2 million people and its 121 thousand miles include deserts, mountains, forests, and rivers. It is the 5th largest state by area and in 2024 was the 36th most populated state. First colonized by Spain, it became a US territory in 1853, and finally a state in 1912, the 47th state to join the Union. The Pueblo peoples have lived in what is now New Mexico continuously for over 1000 years, and today Pueblo lands span over eight counties and more than 2 million acres. 

CLIMATE IMPACTS

Extreme heat presents an urgent threat to New Mexico and, along with it, droughts and wildfires. •Temperatures in New Mexico have risen over 2 degrees (F) over the last century. By the end of this century, summers in Carlsbad Caverns National Park are projected to be 13 degrees hotter. The number of days per year with dangerous levels of heat is expected to double in New Mexico, which has the second highest child poverty rate in the country. 

• With warmer temperatures, demand for water will increase while its availability will decrease. Like the direct health effects of extreme heat, water insecurity will affect the most vulnerable the most acutely. Native communities, in particular, face extremely dangerous conditions as 30% of the people on Navajo Nation must haul water to meet their daily needs. This is yet another example of the fact thatthose who have contributed the least to climate change are most acutely impacted, a phenomenon that like colonization, many have argued, constitutes genocide. 
• Drought intensity and wildfire frequency and severityare also projected to increase. The 2022 Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire was the largest and most destructive fire in the state’s history, exacerbated by high winds and unusually hot and dry conditions. An average of two droughts and wildfires have occurred each year over the last five years in the state. 

ENERGY 

The industrial and transportation sector account for the vast majority of New Mexico’s net energy consumption, ranking in the top 25% of states according to per capita use. The residential sector, by contrast, ranks in the bottom third of states by per capita consumption. 

• New Mexico is the fifth largest energy producing state and the second largest crude oil producing state, after Texas. In 2023, crude oil production reached an all-time high of 1.8 million barrels per day. 
• New Mexico is also among the top 10 natural-gas producing states, producing 7% of the country’s natural gas in 2023. In 2023 natural gas exceeded coal for the first time within NM, generating 34%of the state’s total electricity. 
• Renewable energy was the largest source of electricity in 2023, contributing 47%of electricity generation, six times greater than in 2015. 
• Wind power alone generated 38%of electricity, and New Mexico is in the top five states for wind energy potential and ranks ninth for wind power capacity. 
• Coal was 19%, down from 90% two decades earlier. •New Mexico has no nuclear power plants. 

LEGISLATION 

• New Mexico’s Renewable Portfolio Standard was established in 2002. It was updated in 2019 when New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Energy Transition Act, which set a path for the state to transition away from coal. The ETA set a state-wide renewable energy standard of 50% renewable energy by 2030, 80% by 2040, and 100% clean energy by 2045. 
• New Mexico passed the Community Solar Act in 2021, promoting equal access to solar energy generation. 
• Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham created the New Mexico Interagency Climate Change Task Force by Executive Order in January 2019. Later that year, the Task Force presented initial recommendations for statewide climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The report focuses on greenhouse gas reduction, public health, emergency preparedness and management, and water availability. The Task Force released Strategy Reports for 2020 and 2021as well. 
• In May 2021, the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department established a natural gas waste rule, requiring that 98% of gas is captured at well sites by 2026. 
• In 2022 the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board adopted new air quality rules to go into effect summer 2022 for counties with high ozone levels. 
• In 2023, the state legislature passed SB9 establishing the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, New Mexico’s first dedicated funding stream for conservation. 
• In March 2024, New Mexico released its Priority Climate Action Plan(PCAP) under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. The PCAP includes a GHG inventory, GHG emission reduction measures, and a low-income/disadvantaged communities benefits analysis. The state will release its Comprehensive Climate Action Plan under phase 2 of the program in 2025. The Climate Change Task Force is currently holding public meetings to inform the development of the plan, which aims to be a comprehensive actionable roadmap to reduce GHG emissions across the state. 
• In Summer 2024, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resource Department released a draft of the New Mexico Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan. As described in the introduction, the plan is “intended to be a living document that reflects the State of New Mexico’s commitment to resilience through an all-of-state-government approach.” 

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER STATES 

New Mexico is one of twenty four states, plus Puerto Rico, committed to the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors, created in 2017, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.