New Mexico Sun

Hotter temperatures are increasing the cost of living for families in New Mexico, according to data presented at a recent legislative hearing in Santa Fe. At the Water and Natural Resources Interim Committee meeting, experts told lawmakers that climate change is already affecting household budgets through higher insurance premiums, shrinking water supplies, and increased spending on disaster recovery.

Adrian Avila, Principal Fiscal Analyst with the New Mexico Senate Majority Office, reported that over $256 million has been spent this year alone on emergency responses to fires, floods, and other climate-related disasters. "The frequency of disasters is increasing — it’s not going away — and our emergency spending reflects that reality," Avila said.

Ali Rye, Secretary of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department, highlighted how prolonged drought conditions have intensified wildfires and flooding. "New Mexico has spent nearly a decade in severe to exceptional drought. That kind of long-term stress supercharges wildfires, dries out soils, and turns routine rainfall into catastrophic flooding," Rye said. She noted that before 2022 there had not been a federally declared disaster since 2012, but four such events have occurred in the past three years.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart introduced the Clear Horizons Act during the hearing. The proposed legislation would formalize New Mexico’s 2050 climate pollution emissions goals and establish a framework for investments in clean energy and community resilience. "New Mexico families are already feeling the rising costs of wildfires, flooding, and extreme weather — in higher insurance bills, utility costs, and the everyday expenses that shape our way of life," Stewart said. "The Clear Horizons Act puts the Governor’s executive order into statute and gives our agencies the tools and certainty they need to guide industry, safeguard family budgets, and secure a healthier, more resilient future for our state."

The act would work alongside the Community Benefit Fund to support local projects focused on wildfire recovery, renewable energy storage, and water infrastructure improvements across several counties.

Representative Tara Lujan from House District 48 supported the proposal: "Things are only going to get worse if we don’t take action – and it’s going to take all of us working together. This legislation matters because it gives New Mexico a real plan... so we can finally tackle greenhouse gas emissions and build a safer future for our families."

The Clear Horizons New Mexico Coalition includes 35 organizations advocating for stronger climate action statewide.

Several coalition partners voiced their support:

"The New Mexico patients I see as a family physician are suffering from a widespread but preventable threat; a peril to their health which our legislature can and should help prevent. Climate change heightens the risk of cardiovascular and lung disease among New Mexicans. It contributes to adverse pregnancy outcomes; it disrupts the endocrine and immune systems; it worsens mental illness and distress and negatively impacts our brain and nervous system; it causes premature death. We have the ability to halt this preventable cause of disease. The Clear Horizons Act significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions – the driver of climate change, extreme heat, catastrophic wildfires, drought, and flooding – harms that New Mexicans all over the state already suffer. The families I’ve cared for are resilient and determined. They want fairness and opportunity and a livable New Mexico for their children. They care about traditions, water and the land. Clear Horizons offers us hope for improved health and environmental justice. Let’s do this for our families, neighbors, and communities. Let’s do this for a better, healthier future for all of us."

— Kristin L. Graziano, DO, MPH, FAAFP., Family Physician & Healthy Climate New Mexico Board Member

"Parents across New Mexico want clean air, healthy communities, and a stable climate for their kids. We urge lawmakers to advance and ensure strong, enforceable standards that meet the scale of the climate crisis while supporting a thriving, resilient economy."

— Giovanna Rossi of Moms Clean Air Force

"The Clear Horizons Act provides the critical framework and tools New Mexico needs to hold polluters accountable and protect communities from the worst impacts of climate change. New Mexicans are looking to state leaders to drive local solutions that put community needs first... Passing the Clear Horizons Act next session is a critical next step in the state’s climate leadership..."

— Michael Bueno at EDF Action

"New Mexicans live every day in the only state in the country where direct-source emissions are the number one cause of pollution... It’s beyond time for the legislature to take action..."

— Lucas Herndon at ProgressNow New Mexico

"With the Trump administration... soaked in fossil fuel money... there is an immense need...for New Mexico to exercise climate leadership..."

— Erik Schlenker-Goodrich at Western Environmental Law Center

"The Trump Administration’s energy policies have forced higher costs on families... This is destabilizing our economy at a time when New Mexicans desperately want economic relief..."

— Demis Foster at Conservation Voters New Mexico

"The Clear Horizons Act will help New Mexico secure a future where our children can breathe clean air..."

— Maya Anthony at New Mexico Voices for Children

"Clear goals... pave a roadmap...for clean energy workers..."

— Susan Nedell at E2

"Clear rules...are essential for building an energy system that is resilient..."

— Alex Eubanks at Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

"New Mexicans deserve strong investments in our future..."

— Alexis Mena at Natural Resources Defense Council

"This bill is about using...the free energy from sun...[and] wind..."

— Tom Solomon at 350 New Mexico

"The planet is like a hot car in the sun... Legislators are in the driver’s seat..."

— Camilla Feibelman at Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter

"A decade of investigations...proves harmful air toxics still slip through cracks..."

— Mandy Sackett at Earthworks

"The climate crisis is a moral crisis....it is duty of us all to commit..."

— Rev. Clara Sims at Interfaith Power & Light

Clear Horizons New Mexico describes itself as committed to fostering sustainable growth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through legislative advocacy while promoting innovation in energy development.