Two degrees Fahrenheit

Dear Friend,

Tackling the climate crisis can often feel like an uphill battle in Washington, D.C., but this week has given me some measure of hope. In one of our biggest victories in the fight against climate change in years, we included a historic measure to phase down the use of hydroflourocarbons--also known as HFCs. Doing so will stave off nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming.

In case you've never heard of HFCs before, they are compounds primarily used in coolants and refrigerants that help keep our homes cool and keep our food cold. These chemicals also have a harmful global warming effect that is many times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Luckily, the next generation of climate-friendly HFC replacements are already being made in America and sold throughout the global market. Thanks to our bipartisan agreement, we can finally phase down the use of HFCs. 

I am proud that Congress also came to an agreement on an extension of important clean energy tax credits that have helped us grow both the wind and solar energy industries in New Mexico. With our incredible potential for both solar and wind, New Mexico is poised to become a major producer and exporter of clean power--and create thousands of new jobs in the process. We saw new evidence of this just last week with the completion of the Sagamore Wind Project--the largest wind farm in our state's entire history. Sagamore employed hundreds of New Mexico workers and brought hundreds of millions of dollars of private investment to eastern New Mexico.

This is the type of substantive work across party lines that Americans rightly expect from the Senate. As we prepare to work with the Biden administration, I hope that Congress can build on this momentum and continue to take up important climate legislation in the new year.

I encourage you to write to me about this and other important issues. You can count on me to keep fighting for science and for concrete climate solutions.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH

United States Senator