Last week New Mexico ushered in an expansion of its Renewable Energy Standard (RES).

With a sweep of his pen, Governor Bill Richardson upped the existing RES of 10 percent by 2011 to at least 20 percent by 2020. The bill had passed the Senate 32-0 and the House 43-18.

While the old RES only applied to investor-owned utilities, the new law was expanded to include the state’s public utility districts and municipal and rural electric cooperatives. The Governor said in a news release:

“I am proud today to sign a bill that will quadruple New Mexico’s use of clean electricity by 2020…I am proud that both these bills passed with bipartisan support. That is because New Mexico is hungry for clean energy and the good jobs that come with this new industry.”

New Mexico seems to be on a roll. It joined the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, a regional pact to reduce global warming emissions. A manufacturing plant for the Tesla Roadster (an electric sports car that has zero emissions and goes from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds) is planned for Albuquerque and a biodiesel plant for Clovis.

Keep an eye on Colorado next. The House passed a bill last week 59-5 that will double its RES to 20 percent by 2020. The Senate is its next stop.

Office of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
Reuters
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