By Kevin Hendricks, NM Political Report — New Mexico families watching their electric bills climb have a stake in a bipartisan energy bill that Sen. Martin Heinrich hopes to bring to a Senate vote days after the November election. He says its odds are the best he’s seen.
This story was originally published at New Mexico Political Report, a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in the Land of Enchantment. Learn more and support our work at nmreports.org
Heinrich, D-N.M., said during a press conference Wednesday he hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune will make the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act the first order of business when senators return Nov. 9, the Monday after the election. Negotiators will draft amendments in the meantime, then send the bill to the House.
“This is the most viable path that I have seen for permitting reform,” Heinrich said in response to a question from New Mexico Political Report.
Asked whether he has enough Republican support, Heinrich pointed to the bill’s four authors, the Republican chairs and Democratic ranking members of the two committees that oversee permitting. He and Utah Republican Mike Lee lead the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The White House believes the bill can pass the House, he said, though he warned that things in Washington can go sideways fast.
The bill would require data centers to pay all of their transmission costs instead of relying on voluntary deals, according to a fact sheet from Heinrich’s office. It sets a two-year deadline for environmental impact statements and gives opponents 150 days to sue. It also bars any administration from blocking an entire class of energy projects, such as wind or solar.
Heinrich pointed to the SunZia transmission line, which took 17 years to permit and came online this summer, as proof the current system is broken. The bill also creates a fund to clean up abandoned hardrock mines, which Heinrich said number in the thousands across New Mexico.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 17: Years SunZia spent in permitting
- 2: Years agencies get to finish an environmental impact statement
- 1: Year to finish an environmental assessment
- 150: Days to file suit under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, NEPA or the National Historic Preservation Act
- 30%: Rise in household electricity rates since 2020, according to Heinrich
Read the bill: energy.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BipartisanAmericanAffordabilityandJobsAct.pdf
Read Heinrich’s fact sheet: energy.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bipartisan-American-Affordability-and-Jobs-Act-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Read the senators’ announcement: energy.senate.gov/press/dem/heinrich-lee-capito-and-whitehouse-introduce-bipartisan-american-affordability-and-jobs-act-of-2026/