HB 152, the Environmental Product Declaration Act, requires manufacturers of specific building materials (including concrete, steel, asphalt, glass, and insulation) to create independently verified environmental declarations. These declarations must include a life-cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions (embodied carbon) and meet international standards, enabling comparisons of environmental impacts between products. The Department of Environment will administer the program, supported by a $5 million fund transferred from the general fund, and must publish annual reports starting October 2027. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, with rules to be finalized by January 2027.
Senate Memorial 10 requests New Mexico's Energy Department to form a working group to design a pilot project studying portable solar devices (plug-in/balcony systems) for low-income households. The pilot would install these devices in 5-10 households to measure monthly energy cost savings and assess grid impacts on utilities. The working group, including utilities and nonprofits, must report findings to lawmakers by November 2026. This study aims to evaluate a potential solution for energy insecurity, as low-income residents spend 16-30% of income on energy costs versus the state average of 3%. The bill does not fund installations but seeks data to inform future policy.
HB 62 renames New Mexico's geothermal electricity generation tax credits to "geothermal energy production" credits and establishes a tiered credit system based on kilowatt-hour output. It provides tax credits ranging from $0.015 to $0.035 per kWh (increasing over the first five years then decreasing), capped at 200,000 megawatt-hours per facility annually. The bill limits total annual credits to $55 million, reserving $11 million for tribal and small businesses, and allows credit transfers between taxpayers. This directly affects geothermal energy producers in New Mexico who own facilities generating electricity from geothermal resources.
HB 250 changes the membership structure of New Mexico's Technology and Innovation Network Advisory Board. It removes representatives from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Navajo Technical University, and Central New Mexico Community College as core members, and reduces public members from 11 to nine. The nine public members must now have experience in investment or entrepreneurial support specifically within four target sectors: aerospace/space, biosciences, clean energy/water, and advanced computing. These changes streamline board representation without altering the board’s core duties of advising on strategic planning, industry engagement, and funding recommendations for the state’s technology division.
HB 227 repeals New Mexico's Clean Transportation Fuel Standard Program and prohibits future adoption of rules requiring fuel providers to meet carbon intensity standards. It specifically removes references to "carbon intensity" from environmental law definitions and eliminates the department's duty to implement fuel standard rules. The bill directly affects fuel producers, refiners, and regulators who would have been subject to the 2024 program's requirements. This legislation eliminates existing regulatory obligations without creating new requirements or financial impacts.
HB 226 amends New Mexico's Rural Electric Cooperative Act and Renewable Energy Act to redefine "renewable energy resource" by adding "natural gas using combined cycle technology" to the list of qualifying sources. This change directly affects rural electric cooperatives and public utilities, allowing them to count electricity generated from this specific natural gas technology toward renewable energy requirements. The bill does not make natural gas renewable in general, but explicitly excludes other fossil fuels while including this combined cycle method under the definition. This is a technical definitional update, not a new policy requirement, and aligns with existing provisions that exclude most fossil fuels.
HB 113, the Renewable Energy Production Tax Act, imposes a 3.75% excise tax on electricity generated from renewable sources (solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, or qualifying biomass) at commercial facilities in New Mexico. It applies to electricity sold in the wholesale market, with tax calculated based on the monthly average wholesale price, and requires payment by the 25th of the following month. Revenue from this tax will be directed to the Severance Tax Permanent Fund, and the law exempts government entities, tribal lands, and small-scale personal use (under 500 kWh daily). The tax begins on January 1, 2027, affecting commercial renewable energy producers but not residential or exempt entities.
