Climate and Energy Bills 2019
Bills that 350 New Mexico supported and opposed during the 2019 60-day regular New Mexico legislative session (January 15, 2019, to March 16, 2019).
One of the most important bills to pass and be signed into law was the Energy Transition Act.
Link to Abbreviations
Status after the close of the session 3/16/19.
| Bill # | Bill Name – sponsor | What it will do | Committee Hearing Schedule |
| SB 489 | Energy Transition Act – Sen. J. Candelaria, Rep. N. Small, Sen. M Stewart | 100% Renewable Power by 2045/ San Juan Generation Station Cost Recovery Securitization | Senate 3/6/ passed 32-9
3/12/19 PASSED House (43-22). Signed into law. |
| HB204 | Healthy Soil Act
– Rep. N. Small, Sen. Stefanics |
Creates and funds the healthy soil program in the Dept of Agriculture (Drawdown). | HCEDC 1/29 do pass -amd
HAWC 3/5/ do pass-amd House 3/6 – pass 48-6 SFC 3/9 – do pass Senate 3/9 passed! 34-0 |
| HB546 | Fluid oil and gas waste act
Small, Egolf, Montoya |
Restore enforcement authority to OCD. More controls on produced water. Includes substance of SB186 | Passed |
| HB 440 | Solar Energy Improvement Assessments – Akhil, Sariñana, Sanchez | Allows solar on county property tax rolls. Sort of a PACE bill. | House 2/28 – passed 35-28
SPAC 3/10 – do pass SCONC 3/14 – do pass Senate 3/15/ pass 31-8 |
| HB291 | Efficient Use of Energy Act changes
Rep. Andrea Romero |
Extends, modernizes the EUEA. gives IOUs chance to decouple energy rates | HENRC 2/4 do pass
HSEIC 3/3/ do pass, amd House 3/5/ pass 58-7 SCORC 3/12/ do pass Senate 3/13, pass 27-13 |
| HB 521 | EV Charging Infrastructure
-Rubio/ Woods/ Louis/Anderson/Garratt |
Requires utilities to file plans w/PRC by 1-1-2021 to expand EV charging infrastructure. Says that EV chargers not counted as utilities. Passed! | HENRC 2/21, do pass
HJC 3/6, do pass House 3/8/19, pass 45-17 SCONC 3/14 do pass Senate 3/15, 22-15 |
| HB7 | Higher Ed Centers of Excellence – Reps. Cadena, Salazar | Estab. four Higher Ed centers of excellence including San Juan College (Renewable Energy industry) and NMSU (Sustainable Ag.) | HEC 2/20/, do pass
HSEIC 2/27/, do pass House 3/1/, pass 50-14 SEC 3/8/, do pass Senate 3/6/, pass 39-1 |
| HB300 | Rural Electric Coop Proxy Voting and Quorums–
Armstrong, Ramos |
Allows use of proxies to establish a quorum, and for voting by mail, at meetings of rural electric coops | House, 2/26/ pass 63-0
Senate, 3/14, pass 34-0 |
| HB 651 | Water Data Act
Reps. Stansbury, Armstrong Sen. Sedillo Lopez |
Directs state agencies to compile data on water in NM | HENRC 3/8/ do pass
HAFC 3/9/ do pass House 3/10, pass 62-0 SCONC 3/14/, do pass, amd Senate 3/15/ amd Senate 3/16/ pass 37-0 House 3/16 concur w/Senate |
| HM71
Memorial |
Study Smart Hybrid Microgrids for New Energy – Rep. Akhil | EMNRD to est. a TF to study efficacy SMART, HYBRID MICROGRIDS for CRE, to implement RPS and help utilities include in IRP’s | HENRC 3/8/ do pass
House 3/15, pass 53-0 |
| HM61
Memorial |
RURAL ELECTRIC COOP REGULATION
Reps Gonzalez, Sanchez, Herrera |
Have an INTERIM COMMITTEE RECEIVE TESTIMONY ON RURAL ELECTRIC COOP REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE. | House, pass 53-0 |
| The following bills did not pass: | |||
| SB 518/a | New Solar Tax Credit
–Sen. Stewart |
Extend Solar PV 10% Tax Credit for homeowners, business, agriculture | SCORC 2/28/ do pass amd
SFC 3/6/ do pass amd Senate 3/8/ pass 29-12 HTRC 3/14/ do pass House Calendar |
| HB 210
NEE priority 2 |
Community Solar Act
Rep. Roybal Caballero & A. Romero, Sen. Stefanics |
Community Solar access for residential and commercial IOU customers | HENRC 1/24/, do pass
HJC 2/11/, do pass, amd House 2/18/, pass 42-25 SCONC, 3/12/, do pass CS At SJC no action |
| SB374
NEE priority 1 |
Local Choice Energy
Sen. Steinborn, Shendo |
AUTHORIZING LOCAL CHOICE OF ENERGY PROVIDERS | SCONC – no action |
| SB 456
NEE priority 3 |
Competitive Procurement Utilities -Sen. Cervantes, Rep. Akhil | transparent and accountable procurement process for utilities | SCONC 2/19/19 Do Pass.
SCORC – no action |
| SB 459 | Fracking Moratorium
Sen. Sedillo Lopez, Shendo |
4 year fracking moratorium and O&G reporting requirements | SCONC
did not pass |
| HB 398 | Oil, Gas & Vented Gas Royalties – Rep. D. Lente, Sen. O’Neill | Increase Public Lands royalty new lease rate and require royalty payment on spills, flaring and leaks | HB 398 – dead
SCONC no action |
| HB206 | Environmental Review Act – Rep Chasey – Sen Stewart | Addresses potential pollution events beforehand | HENRC, 2/04/2019- do not pass w/o recommendation
HSEIC – no action |
| HB28 | Resource Sustainability & Security Act
Rep. Stansbury |
Creates the Sustainability & Resilience council in NMED w/reps from almost every state agency to prepare NM for climate change | HENRC 3/1/ do pass, amd
HSEIC 3/1/1 do pass, amd House, pass 40-23 SCONC 3/10/ do pass SFC no action |
| HB289/a | Fund Investment in Renewable Energy
-Rep. Stapleton |
Requires NM to invest min 1% of the $5B Severance Tax permanent fund in New Mexico renewable energy | HENRC 2/4,do pass, amd
HTRC 2/15, do pass House 2/22, pass 43-19 SCONC 3/5/, do pass SFC no action |
| HB185 | Electric Motor Vehicles Fees & Tax Credits
– Rep. Jim Trujillo |
EV tax credit of $2500-3500 for purchase or lease of PHEV’s or BEV’s $48k or less & $300 for EV charging units. SB333 is similar (Sedillo Lopez) | HENRC 1/23 do pass
HTRC 3/7, do pass |
| SB140 | All electric motor veh sales & services
– Sen. Ortiz y Pino, Rep. Akhil |
Legalizes NM Tesla EV stores & service centers as a manufacturer, not a franchise. | HB 294; HCEDC 2/6/19
Dead (SB140) HCEDC no action |
| HB 612 | Motor Vehicle Tax For Electric Cars – Akhil | EV one time exemption from the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax | HENRC – do pass
HTRC – likely dead |
| HB221 | Home Energy Efficiency Tax Credit
-Rep. McQueen |
Creates income tax credit of $2-4k for homes made more efficient by 20-40%. | HENRC 1/31,do pass, amd
HTRC 3/7, do pass House 3/10, pass 48-14 SFC no action |
| SB161 | RETA funding
– Sen. Bill Tallman |
Appropriates $700k to fund RETA operations, Renewable Energy Transmission Authority | SCONC 1/31 do pass, amd
SFC no action |
| SB45 | Low-Income Energy Conserv’n Program
– Sen. Richard Martinez |
$2M to fund a residential energy conservation authority for low income persons in 2020-21 | SCONC 1/29 do pass
SFC no action |
| SB 393 | Carbon Fee & Dividend
– Sen. Soules |
Assess fees on carbon pollution w/dividends returned to taxpayers (CCL and Sandia Prep students) | SCORC 2/27/19
do not pass |
| HB426 | Renewable transmission and storage study
– Reps Akhil & Vigil |
Study to determine needs for renewable energy transmission and storage in NM | HENRC 2/18, do pass
HAFC 3/5/19, do pass amd House 3/6/19 passed 41-12 SFC no action |
| HB432 | Affordable Solar Energy Act
– Rep. Akhil |
Allow on-bill financing of home rooftop solar or energy efficiency devices, etc | HENRC 2/18 do pass
House 3/10 passed 42-23 SJC – no action |
| SB 336 | Electricity Distribution For Certain Vehicles – Sen. Sedillo Lopez | Expand the Use of Electricity To Power Vehicles. House version passed as HB 521 | SCONC 2/14 do pass, comm. sub.
SCORC no action |
| SB 357 cs | Electric Coop Rate Protest – Cisneros | Reduces # of Coop protests from 3 to 1 to appeal proposed rate to PRC | SCONC 2/28/19 do pass on committee sub..
SCORC no action |
| HB 547 | Workforce Clean Energy Economy Study – J Martinez, A. Rubio | study renewable energy generation, utilization and export issues | HLVMC – do pass
HAFC – no action |
| HB 570 | Renewable Energy Issues Study
– N. Small |
$200k to study increased renewable energy generation, utilization and export issues | HENRC 2/26/19, do pass
HAFC no action |
| HB 604 | Utility Securitization Bond Act – R. Montoya, Strickler, Bandy, D. Gallegos | Authorizing utility securitization bond issuance by order of the PRC | HENRC no action, likely dead |
| HB 637 | Presumed Life of Electric Generating Plants – -Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo) | Limiting PRC power to approve new power plants emitting >500 lbs CO2/MWh to life past 2039. | HENRC, 2/28/19, Do Pass
HSEIC 3/19/19, do pass House – did not vote |
| SB 492 | UTILITY SECURITIZATION FINANCING – Soules | “Clean” securitization bill | SCONC – do pass
SCORC – no action |
| SB 186/cs | Oil Conservation Div. Powers & Duties
– Sen. Richard Martinez, McQueen |
Restores enforcement authority to Oil Conservation Division
SB186 Referrals: SCONC/SJC/SFC Was rolled into HB546 which passed |
SB 186:
SCONC 2/21, do pass CS SJC 3/2/19, do pass CS SFC no action HB 680: HENRC 3/12, no action Included in HB 546,passed |
We opposed these bills:
| HB 347 | Coal Sales & Processing Gross Receipts – Rep. Strickler, Alcon | reduces taxes on coal OPPOSE | HENRC 2/12/19,
no action |
| HB 406 | PRC TRANSMISSION LINE JURISDICTION – McQueen | Providing for PRC jurisdiction over transmission line location OPPOSE | HENRC 2/18/2019 do pass
HJC no action |
| SB 376 | Utility Eminent Domain Rights Of Way – Muñoz | Takes utility line right-of-way authority away from PRC OPPOSE | SCONC 2/19/19 Do pass as amended.
SCORC no action |