Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

2007 New Mexico Legislative Activities
Updated: January 28, 2008

The 2007 Session of the New Mexico State Legislature has ended. While SWEEP worked towards passage of a number of bills in the 2007 session (please see below), energy efficiency funding was also appropriated in the state budget as follows:

$2 million for “Energy Innovation” efforts
up to $2 million for energy-efficient, sustainable building elements for public schools
four additional staff persons have been added to the Energy Conservation Management Division, bringing total staffing up to 15
$538,200 for occupancy sensor controls in the State Capitol building

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 12
New Mexico as Energy Conservation Leader
Sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque)

Introduced and assigned to the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee.
02/02/2007: Passed by the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a 5-0-2 vote; referred to the House Committee of the Whole.
Passed by the House Committee of the Whole on a 57-7-0 vote.
Introduced and assigned to the Senate Public Affairs Committee; withdrawn, and reassigned to the Senate Rules Committee.
03/09/2007: Passed by the Senate Rules Committee on a 6-0-3 vote (3 excused); referred to the Senate Conservation Committee.
03/13/2007: Passed by the Senate Conservation Committee on a 7-2-0 vote.

While House Joint Memorial 12 did not pass the state legislature, House Memorial 64 – identical in language and intent to HJM 12 – did pass the House of Representatives, on a vote of 57-0. HM 64 urges the state to become a leader in reducing greenhouse gases through resource conservation and the use of alternative energy. In particular, the memorial encourages the installation of compact fluorescent light bulbs and programs to teach energy conservation, including a request for a “Get a Bright Idea” consumer education campaign.

SENATE MEMORIAL 31
Expand Energy and Energy Conservation Learning Opportunities
Sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Nava (D-Las Cruces)

Introduced and assigned to the Senate Rules Committee.
02/28/2007: Passed by the Senate Rules Committee on a 5-0-4 vote (4 excused); referred to the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on a 29-0 vote.

Senate Memorial 31 encourages teachers to educate their students in energy and energy conservation.

Senate Memorial 31, as adopted by the House of Representatives

HOUSE BILL 534
Sustainable Building Tax Credit
Sponsored by Rep. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe)

Introduced and assigned to the House Business and Industry Committee.
02/08/2007: Passed by the House Business and Industry Committee on an 11-0-0 vote; referred to the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
03/04/2007: Passed by the House Taxation and Revenue Committee on a 10-0-6 vote (6 absent); referred to the House Committee of the Whole.
Passed by the House Committee of the Whole on a 62-0 vote.
Introduced and assigned to the Senate Finance Committee.

While House Bill 534 was not adopted, the bill itself was incorporated into Senate Bill 463 during the legislative process, adopted by the State Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson on April 3, 2007.

House Bill 534 creates a “sustainable building tax credit,” to be made available for the construction of a sustainable residential or commercial building, or the renovation of an existing building into a sustainable building. The amount of tax credit that building owners or purchasers can receive is to be calculated based on the certification level the building has achieved in the LEED green building rating system.

HOUSE BILL 825
Energy Efficiency Bonding and Fund
Sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque)

Introduced and assigned to the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
02/26/2007: Passed by the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a 12-0-2 vote (two absent); referred to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.
03/01/2007: Passed by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee in amended form on a 14-0-4 vote (four absent); referred to the House Committee of the Whole.
Passed by the House Committee of the Whole on a 61-0 vote.
Introduced and assigned to the Senate Conservation Committee.
03/06/2007: Passed by the Senate Conservation Committee in amended form on a 7-0-2 vote (two absent); referred to Senate Finance Committee.
03/12/2007: Passed by the Senate Finance Committee on an 8-0-2 vote (two absent).
Passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on a 37-0 vote.
04/02/2007: Signed into law by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

House Bill 825 updates the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Bonding Act of 2005. Efforts to utilize the bonding provisions of the 2005 act have been hampered by the state's inability to fund the energy audits that would verify the payback for the bonds. This bill amends the Act by providing for assessments, creating a revolving fund, increasing the duration of installation contracts, and removing the requirement for a state plan. It also extends the contract period from four years to 10 years. Perhaps most importantly, HB 825 appropriates $500,000 to a new Energy Efficiency Assessment Revolving Fund, which will allow the state to do energy assessments and thereby validate bond issuances.

SENATE BILL 542
Energy-Efficient Appliance Tax Credit
Sponsored by Sen. Dede Feldman (D-Albuquerque)

Introduced and assigned to the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee.
02/09/2007: Passed by the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee on a 7-0-0 vote; referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Bill 542 was never heard by the Senate Finance Committee, and thus was killed.

Senate Bill 542 provides state tax credits to New Mexico taxpayers for the purchase of energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment. Applicable equipment includes circulation fans, furnaces and hot water boilers, electric heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, central air conditioners, evaporative coolers, and hot water heaters. The tax credits vary from $25 - $300, and runs from 2007 - 2013. In addition, SB 542 provides a month-long “sales tax holiday” for the purchase of ENERGY STAR-qualified clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, and water heaters, for the month of November.

Senate Bill 542, as introduced

SENATE BILL 981
Energy-Efficient Building Code Provisions
Sponsored by Sen. Dede Feldman (D-Albuquerque)

Introduced and assigned to the Senate Conservation Committee.
02/20/2007: Passed by the Senate Conservation Committee on a 7-0-2 vote (two absent); referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Bill 981 was never heard by the Senate Finance Committee, and thus was killed.

If adopted, Senate Bill 981 would authorize an appropriation of $150,000 to the New Mexico Construction Industries Division for fiscal year 2008 to convene stakeholders to develop new building code provisions and programs to train contractors and inspectors in best practices for energy-efficient building construction, with the goal of achieving carbon-neutrality by 2030.

© 2002-2008 Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
2260 Baseline Rd. Suite 212, Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-0078 fax: (303) 786-8054 info@swenergy.org

Last Updated: 01/28/2008

2007 New Mexico Legislative Activities Updated: January 28, 2008

2007 New Mexico Legislative Activities
Updated: January 28, 2008