Rep. Eliseo Alcon House District 6 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
As the Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) prepares for a meeting on Friday to consider a petition from community groups, New Mexicans are calling for immediate action to initiate rulemaking for adopting advanced Clean Cars standards in the state. The appeal comes amid concerns that New Mexico's timeline may delay the implementation of these climate-saving standards, potentially missing an opportunity to increase the presence of electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel-efficient cars by 2024. The state's current plan suggests pushing implementation to the 2027 model year.
New Mexicans have voiced their opinions through various comments submitted to the EIB. One resident, Anthony from New Mexico, stated, "We, our children and grandchildren need us to make quick decisive changes that will positively impact our environment. Thank you for working toward a better future!" Another comment from Ranchos de Taos urged, "This should be an easy decision to make. Please move forward." An Albuquerque resident emphasized urgency with, "It will take awhile to begin making and create rules. Please begin as soon as possible. Thank You." From Alamogordo came a succinct call: "The time is now!" A Santa Fe resident drew parallels between climate change and another global crisis by saying, "This is as important as the pandemic. Gov. Lujan Grisham did a great job handling the pandemic. Now do a great job with climate change."
The petition was filed by several organizations including Center for Civic Policy, Conservation Voters New Mexico, Natural Resources Defense Council, Plug In America, Prosperity Works, Sierra Club, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), and 350 New Mexico.
Contact information for further inquiries includes Tammy Fiebelkorn at SWEEP (505-410-3884 or tfiebelkorn@swenergy.org) and Pete Chipman at Plug-In America (pchipman@pluginamerica.org).
