NMED NEWS

New Mexico has joined 23 other states of the U.S. Climate Alliance in condemning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) vehicle rule. 

The rule would replace national car emissions standards enacted in 2012. Rolling back these standards will result in increased greenhouse gas emissions and weakened environmental protections. 

“States have been stepping up to protect our environment and our citizens and will continue to do so until we have a viable partner at the federal level,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “We will continue to oppose reckless, thoughtless policy that negatively impacts the air people breathe.” 

“We are already seeing declining air quality in some areas of our state,” said Environment Department Secretary James Kenney. “Emissions regulations are imperative to protecting public health and the environment in New Mexico and across the country.” 

The U.S. Climate Alliance’s Clean Car Promise calls for an approach that maintains strong national standards that result in greenhouse gas emissions reductions and provide regulatory certainty. 

“New Mexico values our partnership with U.S. Climate Alliance states to reduce emissions in the transportation sector and across the economy,” said Sarah Cottrell Propst, Secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. 

These rollbacks are counter to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Executive Order on climate change calling for the adoption of approaches to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants from light-duty vehicles sold in New Mexico. 

More information on the Clean Car Promise may be found here.