2026 SB 18 Clear Horizons & Emissions Codification

CVNM Position:

Support

Priority:

CVNM Priority Vote

Year:

2026

Sponsors:

Mimi Stewart

Topics:

Air Quality
Energy & Climate Change
Environmental Justice

Legislative Info:

SB 18 on nmlegis.gov »

Description

The Clear Horizons Act (CHA) is a long-term planning law that would have put New Mexico’s climate pollution reduction goals into statute and given state environmental agencies clear authority to measure, track, and guide progress over time. CHA would have set in law limits on how much greenhouse gases New Mexico can emit, aiming to greatly reduce pollution by 2030, even more by 2040 and to stop it completely by 2050. Rules adopted under CHA would have applied only to large industrial sources that leak 10,000+ metric tons of pollution per year or groups of sources under common ownership emitting 25,000+ metric tons of pollution per year combined. The Clear Horizons Act responded to the real and growing costs New Mexicans are already paying as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe. New data presented to legislators during the interim shows that climate-driven disasters are placing increasing strain on both household budgets and state finances.

Outcome

Passed through Senate Conservation Committee and Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee, but failed to pass on the Senate floor (19-23).