Native News
Haaland Unveils Renewable Energy Plan Aimed at Lowering Utility Costs in New Mexico
Native Vote 2026
Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the Democratic nominee for governor of New Mexico, has unveiled a plan to expand the state’s renewable energy sector with the goal of lowering utility costs for residents while strengthening New Mexico’s role as a national energy producer.
The proposal focuses on taking advantage of the state’s abundant natural resources—including its estimated 300 days of sunshine each year, significant wind potential, and geothermal energy opportunities—to meet growing electricity demand and reduce long-term costs.
According to the campaign, rising energy demand from expanding data centers and increasingly extreme temperatures has placed additional strain on the power grid, contributing to higher utility bills for households. Haaland’s plan argues that large energy users should bear more responsibility for the infrastructure needed to support their operations rather than shifting those costs onto consumers.
The affordability agenda includes several initiatives designed to expand clean energy production and modernize the state’s electrical system.
Among the proposals are investments to make New Mexico more energy independent through renewable energy projects and workforce development, partnerships with clean energy companies, universities, and labor unions to help workers from the fossil fuel industry transition into clean energy careers, and requirements that high-energy-demand industries build their own power infrastructure and battery storage capacity.
The plan also calls for expanding community solar programs and exploring advanced technologies that could reduce stress on the electrical grid during periods of peak demand and in communities facing extreme heat or cold.
Haaland points to her tenure as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior as evidence of her commitment to renewable energy development. During her time in the Cabinet, the department approved projects including SunZia Transmission and Wind Project, which the campaign describes as the largest renewable energy project in the Western Hemisphere.
The project will bring more than 900 wind turbines to central New Mexico and is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than one million homes across the Southwest while creating thousands of union construction jobs and approximately 100 permanent positions in a rural community.
Haaland’s campaign said the broader strategy is intended to address rising energy costs by increasing renewable energy investments, placing new requirements on energy-intensive industries such as data centers, and strengthening accountability for utilities.