The Court of Appeals of the State of New Mexico handed down a limited win for energy code advocates, holding that adopting changes to building codes that removed energy conservation provisions without any justification violated administrative procedure. The decision is available here.

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Preserved natural lands are a national treasure that protect wildlife and allow us to see and enjoy the natural landscape of our beautiful country as it has existed for millenniums, without human “improvements”. But there are lots of areas in national parks, monuments, and wildlife areas that are not pristine. These areas are targeted for low-impact energy development by (more…)

New Mexico, nicknamed the Land of Enchantment, has made numerous strides toward becoming more energy efficient and using renewable energy. Its goal is to have 20 percent of all investor owned utilities to incorporate at least 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, and all rural electric cooperatives (more…)

Utilities are often dismissed or ignored in most discussions of energy efficiency and green building  I find this quite remarkable.  First, many state laws mandate that utilities engage in energy efficiency efforts.  Second, as utilities are directly connected to the energy consumer, utilities are often (more…)

Who says climate policy is dead in the U.S.? By a vote of four to one, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) voted Monday to adopt a new state pollution limit requiring the state’s largest emitters to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 3 percent per year from 2010 levels starting in 2013.

Monday’s ruling is the culmination of a two (more…)