We did it! The New Mexico legislature passed HB 41, the Clean Transportation Fuel Standard in February, and Governor Lujan Grisham has now signed it into law. The signing ceremony was the culmination of so much work over the past four years, and a ringing testament to strong leadership, both from the Governor and the NM Environmental Department, and in the legislature. As the photos attest, women were at the center of it all.
There’s so much to reflect on in the aftermath. Some key things went our way this year. We and our allies also pulled out all the stops leading up to and during the session to give the bill the best possible chance to pass.
We had the most diverse group of stakeholders to date in New Mexico—from environmental advocates to oil majors, tribal groups, the chamber of commerce, public utilities, health advocates, and of course, broad clean fuels industry. Supporters repeatedly showed up in force to advocate for the bill, in person, virtually, and in writing.
We garnered a lot of media attention. No less than six op-eds were published, from perspectives representing the many reasons to support a clean fuel standard. Of course, the LCFC and Board member Adelante Consulting directly made the case for the across-the-board benefits (also published here). And critically, bill sponsor Rep. Kristina Ortez highlighted the value of fuel market competition.
From a campaign perspective, making the case for fuel market competition was a signature achievement of the NM effort this year. It is the first time that any legislative campaign has successfully defused the oft-repeated-but-never-actually-demonstrated claim that clean fuel standard policies raise gas prices. Real-world data contradicts that claim. And that’s not even the best part: Thanks to market competition resulting from the policy, clean fuels are often cheaper than their petroleum counterparts.
We at the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition will continue to publicize the merits of creating competition for gasoline and diesel. Too many campaigns are stymied by unfounded scare tactics in the absence of a counter narrative based on the facts. But in the meantime, we are basking in the win, and looking forward to participating in the NM rulemaking.