HM 42 — METHANE EMISSION TASK FORCE

HOUSE MEMORIAL 42 56THTH LEGISLATURE-LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEWMEXICONEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION,SESSION , 2024 INTRODUCED BY Reena Szczepanski 6This 8document 10may Aincorporate MEMORIALamendments REQUESTINGproposed THEby DEPARTMENTa OFcommittee, ENVIRONMENTbut TOnot CONVENEyet Aadopted, WORKINGas GROUPwell TOas DEVELOPamendments PROPOSALSthat FORhave RULESbeen ANDadopted LEGISLATIVEduring RECOMMENDATIONSthe TOcurrent REDUCElegislative METHANEsession. EMISSIONS FROM NEW MEXICO'S REGULATED UTILITIES.

16The WHEREAS,document methane is responsiblea fortool one-thirdto ofshow netamendments ein tcontext 17 global warming since the industrial revolution and iscannot wbe lused nfor d 18 approximately eighty times more powerful than carbon dioxide at = = 19 a l warming the atmospherepurpose overof aadding twenty-yearamendments period;to legislation.

andh iA aMEMORIAL eg ro 20 WHEREAS, methane accounts for seventeen percent of global a t mhr mREQUESTING 21THE greenhouseDEPARTMENT gasOF emissionsENVIRONMENT fromTO humanCONVENE activities,A andWORKING reducingg d r e 22i methanek emissionsGROUP thatTO resultDEVELOP fromPROPOSALS theFOR operationsRULES ofAND regulatedLEGISLATIVE ch er i s kRECOMMENDATIONS 23TO utilitiesREDUCE hasMETHANE enormousEMISSIONS potentialFROM forNEW targetedMEXICO'S mitigationh by, t, e au ng bREGULATED 24UTILITIES. 2030;

ande ub [l e e h n d d i = = o h WHEREAS, atmethane ais recentresponsible Unitedfor Nationsone-third climateof changenet .226776.3l conference,] oneb hundred,d fifty-fivei countries,a includingº e global warming since the Unitedindustrial States,revolution pledgedand tois workr togetheri to= collectivelyr reducet globale anthropogenicw methaned emissionsm acrossa alln sectorso byapproximately ateighty leasttimes thirtymore percentpowerful belowthan 2020carbon levelsdioxide byat 2030;d m :

b e d s º o t n = .226776.3AIC February 8, 2024 (5:02pm) s k m e e a n e d r e l u [ A d warming the atmosphere over a twenty-year period;

and WHEREAS, methane accounts for seventeen percent of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, and reducing methane emissions that result from the operations of regulated utilities has enormous potential for targeted mitigation by 2030;

and WHEREAS, at a recent United Nations climate change conference, one hundred fifty-five countries, including the United States, pledged to work together to collectively reduce global anthropogenic methane emissions across all sectors by at least thirty percent below 2020 levels by 2030;

and WHEREAS, achieving upstream reductions in methane emissions caused by the production, transportation and h marketing of natural gas purchased by New Mexico's regulated u » r utilities will have a significant impact in reducing methane t h g e l i emissions from the operations of New Mexico's regulated h r i s utilities;

and h , e h WHEREAS, proven technologies and practices could reduce t u g e b l e e , gh greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry by as n d d i = = o h much as two hundred million tons per year, or as much as forty- el t] 17b ,d i a º r five percent, by 2030, and most of these technical solutions we lr n= t e w d 18m a n o can be implemented at a negative or low cost, especially in the =d =m 19: a l oil and gas sector;

andb ir a e rt 20º WHEREAS,o because methane has a short atmospheric lifetime, a t mn m= 21.226776.3AIC theFebruary benefits8, of2024 mitigation(5:02pm) quickly materialize and slow the d r e 22 rate of atmospheric warming, which would help limit dangerous c e s k 23m climatee feedback- loops,2 such- as the melting of the polar ice e a n be 24d capsr ande seal level rise, while simultaneously delivering u [ importantA health,d environmentaloil and economicgas benefitssector; from .226776.3 - 2 - reducing ground-level ozone;

and WHEREAS, because methane has a short atmospheric lifetime, the benefits of mitigation quickly materialize and slow the rate of atmospheric warming, which would help limit dangerous climate feedback loops, such as the melting of the polar ice caps and sea level rise, while simultaneously delivering important health, environmental and economic benefits from reducing ground-level ozone;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF h REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department u » r of environment be requested to convene a working group of state t h g e l i experts and stakeholders to develop proposals for rules and h r i s legislative recommendations that aim to reduce methane h , e h emissions relating to the production, transportation and t u g e b l e e , gh marketing of natural gas purchased by New Mexico's regulated n d d i = = o h utilities;

and el t] 17b ,d i a º r BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group develop we lr n= t e w d 18m a n o proposals for rules, rate recovery mechanisms and legislative =d = 19 a l recommendations that will encourage New Mexico's regulated i a e r 20 utilities to purchase fuels with the lowest possible amount of a t m m: 21 associated methane emissions;

andb d r e 22t BEº ITo FURTHERt RESOLVEDn that= the.226776.3AIC workingFebruary group8, be2024 requested(5:02pm) c e s k 23m toe commence- its3 work- on or before April 1, 2024, meet no fewer e a n be 24d thanr fivee timesl prior to October 1, 2024 and present proposals u [ forA rulesd and legislative recommendations tothat thewill appropriateencourage .226776.3New -Mexico's 3regulated -utilities interimto legislativepurchase committeefuels dealing with naturalthe resourceslowest andpossible regulatedamount utilitiesof priorassociated tomethane Novemberemissions; 1, 2024;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copiesthe ofworking thisgroup memorial be transmittedrequested to thecommence governor,its thework secretaryon ofor energy,before mineralsHENRCº andApril»HENRC naturalHENRCºAugust»HENRC resources,1, the2024 secretaryHENRCº, ofmeet environment,no thefewer secretarythan offive economictimes development,prior theto chiefOctober of1, staff2024»HENRC ofand thepresent publicproposals regulationfor commissionrules and legislative recommendations to the appropriate interim legislative committee dealing with natural resources and regulated utilities noprior laterto thanNovember April 1, 2024.2024;

-and 4HENRCº -BE 12IT 14FURTHER 16RESOLVED ethat tthe 17working wgroup lbe nrequested dto 18comply =with =the 19provisions aof lthe iOpen aMeetings eAct; r 20 a t m m 21 d r e 22 c e s k 23 e a n b 24 u [ .226776.3

and»HENRC BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of energy, minerals and natural resources, the secretary of environment, the h secretary of economic development, the chief of staff of the u » r public regulation commission and the appropriate interim t h g e l i legislative committee dealing with natural resources and h r i s regulated utilities HENRCº no later than April 1, 2024»HENRC .

h , e h - 4 - t u g e b l e e , gh n d d i = = o h l ] b ,d i a º r e r = t e w d m a n o d m :

b r e t º o t n = .226776.3AIC February 8, 2024 (5:02pm) s k m e e a n e d r e l u [ A d