Hearing to look into gas emissions

SANTA FE (KRQE) - On Monday, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board will hold a public hearing on a petition to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions in New Mexico to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and it could impact just about every New Mexican.

To turn on the lights, many New Mexicans depend on coal fired electric plants. The San Juan generating plant in Waterflow, N.M. generates most of PNM’s electricity, but like all coal fired plants it also generates pollution.

“We're at a crossroads where we can continue going down the path we've been on, or we can chart a new direction for energy in the state,” family practice physician John Fogarty said.

Fogarty is the President of New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe based non-profit organization petitioning the state Environmental Improvement Board to cap those greenhouse gas emissions.

“It's a really important time where congress is failing to act and it's incumbent on states to step up to the plate and address this really critical issue that is going to affect our children and future generations,” Fogarty said.

He believes the change, capping carbon emissions, will help the state's economy by unleashing capital investment in alternative energy.

“This is just a devastating regulatory action,” Jason Sandel said.

Sandel runs Aztec Well Servicing, a company that drills for natural gas and services the equipment.

“It's essentially regulations gone wild,” he said.

Sandel said other environmental regulations cut his workforce in half leaving most of his rigs idle.

“People can't afford for them to ask us to drill for them anymore," Sandel said.

The Farmington City Councilor predicts the petition could put his hole drilling company and the region in the hole.

“Regulators don't understand the consequences of their actions," he said.

The consequences according to PNM, the owner of the San Juan Generating Station, are shutting down most of the facility which employs nearly 400 people.

PNM said customers statewide would eventually pay at least 15 percent more on their bills to replace the lost power with natural gas and renewable sources like wind and solar.

The controversy though doesn't just surround what and who the changes to regulations would impact but whether the Environmental Improvement Board should even have the power to make the changes.

“Anytime you have an un-elected board appointed by the Governor, not accountable to the people, not accountable to the legislature, we're in trouble,” Rep. James Strickler of Farmington said.

He agrees with oil and gas industry groups and PNM who are suing because they claim the Board does not have the power to regulate greenhouse gases.

“The legislature created the Environmental Improvement Board,” Fogarty said. “They have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases and to do something about climate change now.”

The EIB said it has not decided if it has the authority. The only thing it has decided is to hold a hearing on the proposal Monday and on several other dates.