Lawmakers express concerns over possible gas price hikes

New Mexico will be the fourth state in the nation to implement stricter regulations on gasoline and fuels used for transportation. That was the word from local lawmakers at Roosevelt County’s Legislative Luncheon on Thursday.

Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, told the audience that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had signed House Bill 41, the Clean Transportation Fuel Standards bill. Nibert said the bill is a carbon tax and will ultimately increase gas prices anywhere from 30 cents to $2 per gallon.

Nibert said this will hamper rural New Mexico, especially residents who drive “100 miles to even go to the grocery store.”

“New Mexicans do not need to be paying more for their fuel. It affects rural New Mexico a lot more than it affects Albuquerque,” Nibert said.

Nibert said the change in gas prices is expected to be implemented in the next couple of years.

The governor, in a news release, said HB41 will bring at least 1,600 full-time jobs and nearly 2,300 construction jobs to the state. It’s expected to generate $470 million in wages, and attract $240 million capital investment in production and manufacturing in New Mexico, she said.

“Clean fuel standards not only decrease emissions and move us toward our climate goals, but also diversify our economy and attract new businesses to our state,” Lujan Grisham said.

California, Oregon, and Washington have already initiated cleaner fuel standards similar to those planned in New Mexico. Nibert said the price of gas and diesel in those states are all higher than the national average.

AAA reports the average price nationwide for gas on Friday was $3.40. California averaged $4.87, Oregon averaged $3.92 and Washington averaged $4.18.

New Mexico’s average gas price was $3.11 on Friday.

“We (Republicans) argued that this new bill will cost New Mexico a lot of money. … We didn’t win that argument and the bill passed, but it’s going to increase the cost of fuel in New Mexico,” Nibert said.

The bill will not only affect residents but also drive up the cost of the state’s goods and services, said Nibert. Businesses will not be able to compete with their out-of-state competitors, he said.

“There’s nothing good in it for New Mexico as I see it,” Nibert said.

Lawmakers who attended Friday’s Chamber gathering included Nibert, Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, and Rep. Martin Zamora, R-Clovis.

During his speech Zamora talked about the Legislature’s attempt to prevent the New Mexico Public Education Department from mandating a 180-day school year.

Zamora said the bi-partisan goal was to strip away funds tied to a 180-day school year. He said they hoped the amendment would’ve shown the governor how much the public was against the PED plan.

“When HB2 got to her desk, she stripped that amendment out … And put that money right back in there,” Zamora said.

School officials on Friday were still working to understand the impact the 180-day rule will have on schedules for the 2024-25 school year. Those with four-day school weeks were concerned they might have to revert to a more traditional five-day week.

“Maybe some schools will qualify for four-day school weeks if their performance levels show it. However, nothing is set in stone,” Zamora said.

Woods spent his time speaking about the labor shortages within the state. He said according to the Labor Statistic Bureau, the employment to population ratio in New Mexico is 55.1%.

“We’re the fourth-worst state in the nation and we’re only ahead of Kentucky, West Virginia and Mississippi. The national average in participation is 61.3%,” Woods said.

Woods said the state could prosper if there were more people working within the state lines.

In the 30-day legislative session that wrapped up last month, 583 bills were introduced and only 66 were put onto the governor’s desk.