Clear Horizons Act Advances in Senate Conservation Committee as Leaders Emphasize Planning Ahead to Protect New Mexico’s Land and Communities

Legislation provides responsible framework to reduce pollution, protect air, land, and water, and avoid rising costs

SANTA FE, N.M. – The Clear Horizons Act advanced today in the Senate Conservation Committee on a 5-4 vote after a high-turnout hearing moved to the Senate floor to accommodate public interest. Lawmakers heard two hours of public comment, including a full hour of testimony from supporters.

Forty-one New Mexicans from across the state spoke in support of the bill, highlighting shared priorities around affordability, public health, economic stability, and responsible planning. Testimony underscored the broad and diverse support for a long-term framework to reduce harmful pollution while providing certainty for communities and businesses.

“New Mexicans deserve a future of clear skies, breathable air, affordable clean energy and a thriving economy,” said AnnaLinden Weller, senior policy advisor at Western Resource Advocates. “The Clear Horizons Act helps make that future a reality. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the state’s economy we can mitigate climate impacts like extreme heat and drought, hold corporate polluters to account and secure healthier futures for our communities and the environment.”

Supporters emphasized that the bill is rooted in accountability and respects the importance of New Mexico’s landscapes and cultural heritage.

“For Indigenous communities, caring for the land, water, air and all our natural resources is about responsibility to future generations,” said Ahtza Chavez, Executive Director of NM Native Vote. “The Clear Horizons Act helps ensure that decisions made today protect our air, land, and communities tomorrow, while giving the public a voice in how those decisions are made.”

Community advocates also spoke to the real-world impacts of pollution and the need for thoughtful, long-term solutions.

“Families and communities across New Mexico are already living with the costs and consequences of pollution,” said Haley Jones, Citizens Caring for the Future. “They show up in our health, our quality of life, and our ability to simply enjoy where we live. Everyone deserves to have clean air to breathe.”

Clean energy leaders noted that clear planning and accountability are essential to protecting New Mexico’s air, land, and water while supporting a modern energy system.

“The Clear Horizons Act is about planning ahead so families are not stuck paying more later,” said Itzel Rios-Vega, Vote Solar. “As New Mexico manages growing energy demand and rising costs, proven tools like distributed solar can help reduce long-term expenses while supporting reliability and affordability.”

“The Clear Horizons Act is about protecting what matters most, our kids, our communities, and the land they depend on,” said Berenice Estrada, Political Director at The Semilla Project. “Across New Mexico, families are already feeling the cost of pollution in our lungs, our water, and our rising energy bills. But it’s our children who are paying the highest price. They need clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and access to the outdoors to grow, heal, and thrive. This bill is about accountability, making sure big polluters don’t pass their mess onto the rest of us. And it’s about vision: laying down a clear path toward a future where our land, water, and air are protected for generations to come. Every young person in New Mexico deserves to explore the outdoors, to feel safe in their environment, and to know that we planned ahead for them.”

The Clear Horizons Act codifies New Mexico’s existing climate pollution reduction goals into law and provides state agencies with clear authority to measure, track, and guide progress over time. The bill focuses on large industrial sources of pollution.

Following today’s vote, the Clear Horizons Act will continue through the legislative process to the Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee, as supporters urge lawmakers to keep New Mexico on a path that prioritizes responsible planning, environmental stewardship, and community protection.

Recent statewide polling shows that a strong majority – 77% – of New Mexicans support government action to reduce climate pollution, underscoring that the Clear Horizons Act aligns with voter priorities across the state.

The Clear Horizons Act is supported by a broad coalition of 42 organizations, healthcare professionals, parents, business leaders, and community advocates from across New Mexico who agree that families deserve stability, clean air, and a future they can count on. Coalition members: 350 New Mexico; 350 Santa Fe; American Lung Association in New Mexico; Center for Civic Policy; Citizens Caring for the Future; Climate Cabinet; Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy; Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico; Conservation Voters New Mexico; Devil’s Spring Ranch; Earthworks; E2; EDF Action; Equality New Mexico; GreenLatinos; GRID Alternatives; Healthy Climate New Mexico; Moms Clean Air Force – New Mexico Chapter; Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light; New Mexico Climate Investment Center; New Mexico Native Vote; New Mexico Sustainable Business; New Mexico Voices for Children; NM CAFe; NMVC Action Fund; OLÉ Education Fund, Positive Energy Solar; ProgressNow New Mexico; Prosperity Works; Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico; San Juan Citizens Alliance; Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter; Sovereign Energy; Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP); The Semilla Project; Together for Brothers; Tribal Energy Alternatives; Vote Solar; Western Environmental Law Center; Western Leaders Network; Western Resource Advocates.

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Clear Horizons New Mexico is a coalition committed to fostering sustainable growth and environmental resilience throughout the State of New Mexico. Through the advocacy and implementation of groundbreaking legislation like the Clear Horizons Act (SB18), we aim to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy development and innovation, and enhance community welfare. Our mission is to transform New Mexico into a leader in energy & sustainability by harnessing the state’s unique environmental assets and cultural heritage, ensuring a thriving, sustainable future for all residents. Clear Horizons New Mexico collaborates with local communities, policymakers, and environmental experts to drive meaningful change and innovation.