On the eve of electricity deregulation, as the demand for power and the negative effects of traditional power production continue to increase, the state must turn away from polluting energy sources and increase the use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power. The electric power industry is one of the most polluting industries in New Mexico and the world. Coal plants are the largest industrial sources of a variety of pollutants, which threaten public health and the environment. Nationally, one-third of toxic mercury emissions comes from power plants. In New Mexico, the fish in 29,000 acres of lakes and streams are contaminated by mercury, which puts people who eat them at risk of neurological damage.
Power plants emit one-quarter of the nitrogen oxide emissions in the state.
At ground level, nitrogen oxides form ozone, or smog, and can trigger asthma attacks. In New Mexico, one-third of sulfur dioxide pollution is emitted by power plants. Sulfur dioxide forms fine particulate pollution and causes acid rain. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also the largest contributors to regional haze, which reduces or blocks visibility in the Grand Canyon and in other nearby parks. Power plants are responsible for one-half of carbon dioxide emissions in New Mexico.