The Clear Horizons Act Is a Clear Warning

Originally published by the New Mexico Sentinel

New Mexico does not need a new way to make energy scarce. Senate Bill 18, branded as the “Clear Horizons Act,” would write an economy-wide emissions mandate into law and then hand regulators the power to re-engineer how New Mexicans produce and use energy. The bill sets statewide emissions caps pegged to 2005 levels and ratchets them tighter, to “one hundred percent less,” by mid-century, effectively turning “net zero” into a legal requirement. In plain English, it is an energy-rationing bill dressed up as a feel-good slogan.

To see why, start with what the bill actually does: far more than to simply “set goals.” It orders a statewide plan and creates a new regulatory system to force compliance, including emissions tracking, verification, and enforcement backed by fees and penalties. It also opens the door to trading, averaging, and offset-style mechanisms, meaning the practical result is similar to a cap-and-trade program even if lawmakers avoid that label.

The worst pain point would be the cost to New Mexican families. When a state starts policing energy use across the economy, the first effect is higher bills. Electricity gets more expensive when utilities are pushed away from the most affordable, dependable supply and toward a narrower menu of options that prioritize ideological targets over cost and reliability.

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