WASHINGTON, D.C.- On March 18, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)announced a new bill to cut energy costs, modernize the electric grid, and protect consumers from politically driven decisions that drive up prices. Rep. Vasquez introduced the Energy Bills Relief Actalongside Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), which comes as New Mexicans are feeling the strain of rising electricity costs.

Under the current Administration, average electricity prices in New Mexico have increased nearly nine percent, and in 2025 alone, at least one utility serving New Mexico enacted a rate hike totaling more than $328 million, affecting more than 500,000 customers. According to reportsand filings, additional rate hikes could increase the average residential bill for New Mexicans living in the southeastern part of the state by as much as $100 per month.

"Hardworking New Mexicans are doing everything they can to stay ahead, but rising utility bills are pushing family budgets to the brink," said Vasquez. "We can't keep passing the cost of an aging grid, political games, and unchecked infrastructure demands onto families. This bill is about putting consumers first and making energy affordable again."

The Energy Bills Relief Act takes a multi-pronged approach to bring down prices for hardworking New Mexicans, including:

• Restoring clean energy tax credits and repealing harmful provisions of the Republican tax law that have contributed to higher prices
• Expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and reauthorizing the Weatherization Assistance Program, helping seniors and working families reduce their monthly bills
• Investing $2.1 billion in modernizing transformers and grid technology to address the aging infrastructure driving price spikes
• Cutting red tape to speed up the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) processing of interconnection requests to bring more affordable energy online faster
• Granting new authority to FERC and the Department of Energy (DOE) to strengthen transmission capacity and build a more disaster-resilient grid
• Preventing politically motivated terminations of DOE and EPA grants and the termination of specific energy projects, like wind and solar
• Unlocking New Mexico's geothermal potential by giving the Bureau of Land Management cost recovery authority to process more permits

The legislation is endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Climate Action Campaign, Sierra Club, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Lowering utility bills for New Mexicans is a core pillar of Rep. Vasquez's Affordability Agenda, a concrete plan to address the affordability crisis facing hardworking New Mexicans. Rep. Vasquez has:

• Rolled out bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and reduce energy costs for families, such as the Create Expedited Reviews to Transform American Infrastructure Now (CERTAIN) Act.
• Led efforts to reduce energy waste through the introduction of his bipartisan Waste Heat to Wattage Act.
• Led the New Mexico delegation in demandingthat the Administration immediately fundthe Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as New Mexico families prepared for colder temperatures this winter amidst sharply rising energy costs.
• Signed on as a proud member of the Lowering Utility Bills Caucus, which launched in January to tackle the affordability crisis in electricity, gas, and water costs.
• Condemned the administration's decision to cut $135 million in Department of Energy funding for projects in New Mexico, including $56 million in canceled investment for oil and gas modernization efforts in New Mexico's second district.

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