Amid federal pushback, Gov. Lujan Grisham enacts climate change funding bill
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has through April 11 to sign or veto remaining legislation. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday signed into law Senate Bill 48, the Community Benefit Fund, which contains $210 million for communities to use for a series of projects to mitigate climate change impacts. These include: train workers in the oil and gas industry for other jobs; reduce oil and gas emissions; improve the electric grid; develop renewable energy projects; modify public buildings to be more energy efficient; reduce the impacts of climate change on human health, agriculture and the environment; purchase electric vehicles and develop charging infrastructure.
In a written statement Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center, called the law 'a step in the right direction.'
'With the federal government abandoning its responsibilities to the states, there is so much work to be done,' Schlenker-Goodrich said in the statement. 'The Community Benefits Fund provides hope that New Mexicans can step into the void and get it done.'
Lujan Grisham signed the bill as the federal government makes moves to clamp down on state climate change work via an executive order signed earlier this week. Experts, however, say Trump's order violates the constitutional principles and would be unlikely to survive a court challenge.
Lujan Grisham, in her capacity as co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance, issued a joint statement with Co-Chair New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in response to Trump's order that said: 'The federal government cannot unilaterally strip states' independent constitutional authority. We are a nation of states — and laws — and we will not be deterred. We will keep advancing solutions to the climate crisis that safeguard Americans' fundamental right to clean air and water, create good-paying jobs, grow the clean energy economy, and make our future healthier and safer.'
The governor on Thursday also signed Senate Bill 23, which raises oil and gas royalty rates on prime tracts of state lands in the Permian Basin from 20% to 25%. The change is expected to generate $50 million to $75 million in revenue for the state's land grant permanent fund which primarily pays out to schools, universities and hospitals. The last time the Legislature last updated royalty rates was in the 1970s.
All told, Lujan Grisham signed an additional 22 bills into law Thursday, leaving 38 pieces of legislation in the balance, with one day left to act.
Outstanding bills include House Bill 2, which contains the $10.8 billion dollar budget for the state government, and the list of capital outlay projects, which may see line-item vetos, striking a certain project or item and leaving the rest of the bill intact.
So far, the governor has signed 157 bills into law — about 80% of the bills sent up to her desk — and vetoed two pieces of legislation. Lujan Grisham has until the end of Friday, April 11 to sign or veto legislation. Any unsigned bill after the deadline passes fails to become law, a power called the 'pocket veto.'
A full list of the bills signed:
House Bill 156: Increase Educational Salaries
House Bill 157: New School Licenses
House Bill 195: School Nurse Salary Tiers & Minimums
House Bill 487: Protection Of Hispanic Education
Senate Bill 11: Anti-Distraction Policy in Schools*
Senate Bill 133: Educational Retirees Returning to Work
Senate Bill 343: Teacher Salary Rates Changes
Senate Bill 345: Teacher & Instructional Support Licensure
House Bill 91: Public Utility Rate Structures
House Bill 291: Recycling & State's Circular Economy
Senate Bill 9: Pipeline Safety Act Violations Civil Penalty
Senate Bill 23: Oil & Gas Royalty Rate Changes
Senate Bill 42: Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Program*
Senate Bill 45: County Health Care Assistance Fund Use
Senate Bill 78: Certified Nurse Anesthetist Role
House Bill 352: Close & Relocate Certain Magistrate Courts
House Bill 493: Public Finance Accountability Act
Senate Bill 31: Zero-Interest Natural Disaster Loans (includes a line-item veto that was unavailable as of publication)
Senate Bill 36: Sensitive Personal Information Nondisclosure
Senate Bill 47: Santa Cruz De La Canada Land Grant
Senate Bill 48: Community Benefit Fund
Senate Bill 124: Superintendent Of Insurance Subpoenas
* Lujan Grisham's messages on SB11 and SB42 had not yet been published as of press time.
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