In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Senate addressed several legislative matters on what was designated as Climate Crisis Day and New Mexico Historic Women Marker Day. The discussions on the Senate floor included topics such as state financial investment and management, public safety, and broadband expansion.
One significant piece of legislation debated was Senate Bill 9, which aims to update civil penalties for violations of the Pipeline Safety Act. Sponsored by Senator Bill Soules from Las Cruces, the bill passed with a vote of 26-14. It proposes aligning state penalties with federal guidelines for incidents related to oil transportation by pipeline within New Mexico.
Senator Soules explained the rationale behind the bill: "Currently any violations of the Pipeline Safety Act in the state of New Mexico have a maximum penalty of $100,000 per day, or $1 million total. This bill would strike that and make it so that all penalties will be subject to the maximum allowed at the federal level. Currently that maximum would be $200,000 a day, or $2 million total." He added that this change would prevent the need for future adjustments due to inflation or other factors by automatically adopting federal limits.
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