New Mexico is using some of its surplus budget funds, primarily from oil and gas revenues, to establish the state's first-ever source of recurring funding for conservation efforts.

Known as the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, it consists of two $50 million reserves - one to fund existing state programs and another permanent fund managed by the State Investment Council.

Jonathan Hayden, senior policy analyst with Western Resource Advocates, said the funds with allow better stewardship as the state grapples with what's ahead from changing weather patterns "through things like watershed protection, forest restoration, thinning projects, community-resilience projects - all of which will help insulate communities from the worst effects of a dryer and hotter climate."

Monies from the Legacy Fund will also go to outdoor recreation and infrastructure, agriculture and working lands, historic preservation and wildlife protection. With predictable funding in place, the state will also gain access to untapped federal dollars from the Great American Outdoors Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Hayden said passage of the bill to create the fund was years in the making, as environmental groups and others urged lawmakers to follow Wyoming's lead to create dedicated, recurring funding for conservation.

"All the stars kind-of aligned this year," he said, "and we had the support of our legislators, of our administration, and unity in the conservation community about what programs should be included in this fund."

Following this year's legislative session, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also signed Senate Bill 72, creating the Wildlife Corridors Action Plan. It will fund 11 high-priority safe passage projects around the state designed to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and restore habitat connectivity.

A Michigan group is speaking out after a top congressional leader's comment that lawmakers will most likely scrap the $7,500 federal tax credit for buying electric vehicles.

Ending the tax credit could deal a major blow to both the EV market and the country's clean-energy goals. Michigan automakers and suppliers have pumped more than $30 billion into the state's EV industry since 2020.

Jane McCurry, executive director of Clean Fuels Michigan, said her group joined several local and national nonprofits in signing a letter to the U.S. House Transportation Committee in support of the EV tax credits.

"Demonstrating that it's not just industry, not just individuals," she said, "but large nonprofits and advocacy groups that really care about continuing to show support for the clean mobility transition."

Despite growing Republican support for EV tax credits, some GOP senators have introduced the ELITE Vehicles Act. It would eliminate the $7,500 credit, a $4,000 credit for buying used EVs, and charging-station incentives. The senators have argued these are luxury cars and that taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for incentives.

McCurry said it isn't just about cutting incentives. She said there are also new disincentives being pushed in Lansing and Washington, D.C. - including a proposal to increase the gas tax from 31 cents to 51 cents, which would hike EV fees.

"Because of the way that the EV registration fee in Michigan is designed, that would increase our EV registration fee by $100," she said, "and that would make Michigan's EV registration tax the highest in the country."

McCurry said her group, along with 70 companies, is working to bring back the Competitive Fuels Act in Michigan. It would reward cleaner, more innovative fuels based on how environmentally friendly they are. By 2030, hybrid or electric vehicles will be more than half of all vehicle sales in Michigan, according to the state.

Nonprofits, businesses, organizers and leaders have signed a letter calling for more climate solutions in Arizona and around the country. They claim the climate crisis is here, and say action is needed now more than ever.

Research shows most Arizonans are worried about the consequences of climate change on their own lives, and they want more renewable energy sources.

As the Trump administration takes steps to roll back environmental protections and boost domestic oil and gas production, people such as Gloria Walton, president and CEO of The Solutions Project, argue too much is at stake. Her organization is among 150 partners pledging renewed commitments to advancing climate solutions - especially from communities of color.

Walton said these are the areas disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, from their proximity to industry pollution to a lack of infrastructure to deal with extreme weather events.

"Frontline communities are literally taking a proactive stance to addressing the climate crisis, and they're thinking about the collective creativity that can change the material conditions when we work together," she said. "And they're thinking about the hope and possibility of new systems that can be created that benefit people, versus corporations."

The Solutions Project works with cooperatives and community organizers to cultivate policy and campaign wins, which Walton said work to fill in the gaps the current administration is not.

Historically, said Judith LeBlanc, executive director of the community organization Native Organizers Alliance, their advocacy work has been about defending and protecting natural resources, but added that the approach has changed in recent years.

"But what we've been moving in the direction of for eight, nine years - since Standing Rock, really," she said, "is putting forward solutions, generating possible ways to continue to build up the infrastructure for rural, and therefore our reservations."

LeBlanc said Indigenous stewards understand their inherent role and legal responsibility to take care of lands and waters for all. She added that organizing, engaging and mobilizing communities is key, "since the majority opinion is, 'Let's get 'er done, let's take care of Mother Earth, let's invest' - especially by registered voters, who play a big role in shaping government policy."

A new interactive map reveals how recent federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act are driving clean-energy and climate-resiliency projects in Pennsylvania.

The tool highlights renewable-energy upgrades and sustainability efforts made possible by more than $3 billion in federal funding.

Flora Cardoni - deputy director of the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center - said the new map, called "Renewable Energy Success Stories in the Keystone State," reveals federally funded clean-energy projects across Pennsylvania - from nonprofits such as worship centers to farmers taking advantage of direct payments to plant trees, go solar, and improve energy efficiency.

"The Tulpa Canal Farm, which is a dairy farm in Berks County, they received a Clean Energy grant to install about 400 solar panels, which is great," said Cardoni. "It's expected to save the farm about $15,000 in energy costs each year."

Cardoni said efforts by the Trump administration and some members of Congress to repeal the tax incentives could jeopardize these investments.

However, she added that nonprofits, businesses and homeowners can still get 30% back in federal tax credits for installing solar panels.

She said those incentives could be repealed soon, with a possible vote in Congress by next Monday, May 12.

Incentives have enabled Pennsylvanians to reduce energy costs, protect their health and environment, and move toward greater energy independence.

Cardoni said the map highlights clean-energy projects across Pennsylvania, including another business that's saving about $15,000 a year through improved energy efficiency.

"Hall industries in Lawrence County, which is a machining and fabrication company in Ellwood City," said Cardoni, "and they are using federal Clean Energy funding to install energy-efficient LED lighting, which should lower their energy use by about 14%."

She pointed out that Harley-Davidson is expanding and upgrading its York County facility to build more energy-efficient electric motorcycles and cut waste from the painting process.

The project is part of an $89 million grant.




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