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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Challenge to NM Governor’s Hold on Energy-saving Building Codes

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Friday, January 21, 2011   

SANTA FE, N.M. - As one of her first acts in office, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez ordered a freeze on new state regulations, including the publication of state building codes designed to achieve energy-efficiency in new construction. The Sierra Club is asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to unblock the building codes.

Organizer Shrayas Jatkar says the regulations effectively became law when adopted last year by the Construction Industries Commission.

"Pretty much all of the building codes were adopted in July 2010, with just two additional sections - for commercial buildings, specifically - adopted in September."

Jatkar says the delay is costing New Mexico's consumers money. The new codes will help homes and businesses cut energy use by 20 percent, he says, and reduce reliance on polluting coal-fired power plants.

Among other requirements, the new state building codes require beefed-up insulation in all new construction, which Jatkar estimates will save the average New Mexico homeowner $167 a year.

"Insulation is one of those no-brainers when it comes to energy savings because you reduce the fluctuations in temperature. You don't need as much heating and cooling. That's going to save you energy, save you money."

The new building codes potentially will have a huge impact on New Mexico's energy usage, Jatkar says, even to the point of avoiding the need to construct new power plants.

"This is not like 'Don't leave your lights on, you're going to save a little bit of energy,' or 'Don't keep your appliances plugged in, you'll save a little bit of energy.' We're talking about industry-wide, statewide, all new construction, so this is pretty significant when it comes to energy savings."

Jatkar points out that the new codes will also stimulate the state's clean energy sector, producing hundreds of new jobs. He warns that by her actions, Martinez may be jeopardizing the state's $32 million share of federal stimulus funding for energy projects.



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