WELCOME

This is not a carbon-free energy source. No, this is

Jan. 16, 2019 by Kimberly Parks

This is not a carbon-free energy source. No, this is carbon-free.

The House's bill also includes a requirement that the state obtain an agreement from Congress by 2045 with the federal government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent of the nation's energy.

The House bill would also require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to develop a set of rules for carbon-free power plants, as well as a set of emissions standards for all renewable power plants.

The energy transition bill is a big win for New Mexico's green energy industry. The bill eliminates the need for an existing federal program to cut greenhouse gases and creates the best way to keep power systems powered by renewable sources in New Mexico.

New Mexico could make the switch to carbon-free power plants as early as this summer, if all the state's existing coal plants are shut down. The switch is a first step in the transition to clean energy sources like solar and wind for New Mexico's future.

New Mexico Energy Department spokesperson Jennifer Shumlin told GreenTechMedia that the agency is working with industry groups to "fully review" the bill through the process. New Mexico's largest coal and natural gas company, Sierra Nevada Corporation (NSN) also said in a statement that it would "strongly oppose" the bill.

New Mexico's coal plants are now shut down after the state's coal industry was accused of burning too many coal-fired plants, a charge the state charges is politically motivated to clean up its energy mix.

There are several reasons to consider making the switch. One is if New Mexico can't afford to cut greenhouse gases, which is likely to happen with existing coal and natural gas plants. Another is if the New Mexico industry is struggling to compete with coal-fired plants. One potential concern would be that the state will have to use its own electricity source to replace those plants.

New Mexico Power Company owner Bob Gentry has said that if New Mexico had to cut greenhouse gas emissions for its coal plants, New Mexico's coal plants would be shut down in mid-August and shut down for several months in 2017, in a move that could put New Mexico's coal plants at an economic disadvantage.

New Mexico's coal plants are now slated to go live by the end of 2018.

New Mexico's coal plants are not just losing the value of their carbon emissions. New Mexico was rated as the nation's worst renewable source of electricity in January 2010; the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA)