February 2024 Sustainability Newsletter

Santa Fe County, New Mexico sent this bulletin at 02/01/2024 08:21 AM MST

February 2024 Newsletter

Santa Fe County is Happy to Announce the CFI Grant "Valentine" Award of Over $3 Million to Expand EV Charging Infrastructure!

Last month, Santa Fe County was awarded funding to expand EV charging stations across the County through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program! This EV charging investment will expand the County's charging network of DC fast chargers and level 2 charging stations with 33 total chargers installed throughout 13 sites. The $3.3 million in funding was allocated as part of a national grant program totaling $623 million led by the Biden-Harris administration to build out a convenient, affordable, reliable and made-in-America national network of EV chargers.

This major announcement was presented to New Mexico by the Nation’s Top Highway Official, Shailen Bhatt, alongside Governor Grisham and NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna. The grant marks the initial step in addressing gaps within the national charging and alternative-fueling network, particularly focusing on expanding EV charging accessibility in rural and underprivileged communities. Pascual Maestas, Mayor of the town of Taos and Santa Fe County Commissioner Camilla Bustamante and many other leaders throughout the State spoke on the importance of developing local EV charging infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel and reduce range anxiety.

On completion, the new EV charging infrastructure will help alleviate range anxiety for both residents and visitors, and support economic development for local shops, restaurant, and cultural sites. Several EV charging installations will accommodate a transition to EV fleet vehicles by Santa Fe County and the Sheriff’s Department. The emissions reduction from the transportation sector will be significant as more residents and tourists transition to EVs.

EV charging sites:

Site 1: Cerrillos Senior Center and Fire Station (Under Construction)

Site 2: Nambe Community Center

Site 3: El Dorado Community Center

Site 4: El Rancho Community Center

Site 5: Edgewood Senior Center

Site 6: Nancy Rodriguez Community Center

Site 7: Bennie Chavez Senior Center

Site 8: Stanley Fire Station 2

Site 9: Santa Fe County Public Works Complex

Site 10: Santa Fe County Public Safety Complex

Site 11: Santa Fe County Affordable Housing Building

Site 12: Nueva Acequia Affordable Housing Development (To be Built)

Site 13: Abedon Lopez Senior Center (Santa Cruz)

Keep an eye out for the construction phase; the real work will begin in a few months and the timeline for completion spans five years. This is the largest amount of funding for this type of infrastructure in rural areas awarded to date!

Updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

For the first time in 11 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This tool has been incredibly valuable to gardeners and researchers for decades, providing a reference for which plants are most likely to survive at a location. This data is also important to scientist for modelling the spread of exotic weeds and insects, in an age of biological invasion. The new version was jointly developed by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University’s (OSU) PRISM Climate Group. The full map can be viewed online.

The map is based on the 30-year average of the lowest winter temperatures at specific locations, and divided into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones and further divided into 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zones. It was generated by incorporating data from over 13,000 weather stations, considerably more than the 2012 map (7,983), resulting in a much more accurate map.

Below is a comparison of the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map and the updated 2023 version for Santa Fe County. Clearly visible are the loss of Zone-5 at higher elevations of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and expansion of Zone-7 across the western portion of the County, demonstrating a warming trend over the last 30 years. This data does not necessarily represent the effects of climate change as the extreme minimum temperatures used to generate this map are highly variable year to year. However, as the County’s Climate Action Plan projects consistent increase in annual temperatures, growers in our region can expect warmer winters going forward.

Nambe Solar Installation and Energy Efficient Rebates

New PV solar at Nambe Convenience Center!

This month Santa Fe County completed installation of a 1.34 kW PV system and battery storage at the Nambe Solid Waste Convenience Center (SWCC). This small system is uniquely suited to the energy needs of an off-grid convenience center providing renewable electricity for computers, lights and small appliances.

Located off NM 503, 6 miles Northeast of Pojoaque, the Nambe SWCC is one of six (6) transfer stations servicing Santa Fe County and accepts residential trash, household recycling, green waste, appliances, scrap metal, and tires. Efforts are underway to install PV systems at additional transfer stations across the County with the aim of reducing reliance on propane for heating, providing for increasing energy demand and improving County staff comfort and efficiency.

PNM Energy Efficiency Rebates Available

The Winter in Santa Fe County can illustrate the needs to invest in energy efficiency in our homes. Many of the residences in the area are relatively aged, with windows, door seals, and appliances stressing outdated electrical systems. As the community moves towards modernizing their homes PNM offers a variety of rebates and discounts for those able to upgrade. Some of these rebates are retroactive for those who have already upgraded to ENERGY STAR® energy-efficient products.

Mini-splits and solar are a great combo for leaping toward electric, increasing comfort, efficiency and significantly lowering utility costs when installed together!

Our February Picks

(Click on the blue titles for more information)

In the Life of Threatened Fireflies

Thursday, February 15th
11:00 AM - Noon

Join endangered species conservation biologist Richard Joyce for a presentation about the fireflies of the USA, focusing on the natural history and conservation needs of our most threatened species.

Native Seed Virtual Conference

Wednesday - Thursday
February 7th – 8th

The NNSC connects research, industry, land management, and restoration professionals, providing the premier opportunity to develop relationships and share information about the collection, research and development, production, and use of native plant materials.