Commentary: This morning, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, fourteen other Democratic Attorneys General, and Democratic legal officials urged president-elect Donald Trump to be vigilant on climate change. The action comes in response to a letter that urges the new administration to unravel the Clean Power Plan and undermine the progress made to reduce the effects climate change has on communities in New Mexico and across the country.
In the letter, the attorneys write, "We joined in EPA’s defense of the Clean Power Plan in court mindful of the grave threats that carbon pollution poses to our residents, economies, infrastructure, and natural resources. The Clean Power Plan builds on successful strategies that states, local governments and the power sector have used to cost effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, while at the same time creating jobs and growing our economies."
In particular, New Mexico has experienced drier summers and winters which contribute to catastrophic fire and extreme flooding that wreak havoc on local economies and require significant resources to address.
Given Donald Trump's nominees for key administration posts, the Vice President-elect's record on climate change, and recent climate change denial from the president-elect, the fate of the Clean Power Plan remains uncertain and progress that benefits New Mexico communities and communities across the country is at risk.
The Clean Power Plan was implemented by President Obama in 2015 and sets a series of standards to reduce carbon emissions, one of the key contributors to climate change, within a specific period of time. A fact sheet on the Clean Power Plan is available here.
The full version of the letter urging Present-elect Trump to be vigilant on climate change is available here.