Climate Change

I believe climate change is real, that it is an existential threat to all of us, and that it is significantly exacerbated by human activity. Seriously addressing climate change is going to be quite expensive, but less expensive than doing nothing. I support the following legislative actions:

• State investment in renewable energy programs
• Encouraging the private sector and the public to invest in renewable energy through tax incentives
• Considering and accounting for the effects on climate for all state legislative projects
• Attempting to minimize the environmental footprint of all projects
  

Managing our limited water resources is a very important issue for all New Mexicans, which has become even more important due to climate change. Water is part of “the commons” -- a resource for the people. Through tax policy and legislation, we need to discourage big water-intensive corporations and fossil-fuel companies that consume large amounts of water.

We need to establish policies to help transition from a fossil-fuel based energy system to one that is renewable. Research is critical to fund efforts to develop alternative energy technology. I oppose large uranium-based nuclear power plants because of the problems they present regarding safety and environmental contamination. However, research into smaller thorium-based reactors looks quite promising and is a topic New Mexico should support.