On September 13, 2024, the Santa Fe County Commission enacted the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) Ordinance.

What is Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy? Commercial property-assessed clean energy (CPACE) is a financing structure in which commercial building owners (including non-profit organizations) borrow money for energy efficiency, renewable energy, or other eligible improvements and make repayments via an assessment on their property tax bill. The financing arrangement then remains with the property even if it is sold, facilitating long-term investments in building performance. CPACE may be funded by private investors or government programs, but it is only available in states with enabling legislation and active programs.

What are Eligible Improvements? A permanent improvement affixed to the real property that must meet at least one of these criteria:

• Decrease energy consumption or demand through the use of efficiency technologies, products, or activities that reduce or support the reduction of energy consumption or allow for the reduction in demand or reduce greenhouse gas emissions (“Energy Efficiency Improvement”);
• Support the production of clean, renewable energy, including but not limited to a product, device, or interacting group of products or devices on the customer’s side of the meter that generates electricity, provides thermal energy, or regulates temperature (“Renewable Energy Improvement”);
• Decrease water consumption or demand and address safe drinking water through the use of efficiency technologies, products, or activities that reduce or support the reduction of water consumption, allow for the reduction in demand, or reduce or eliminate lead from water which may be used for drinking or cooking (“Water Conservation Improvement”);

This is a program of the New Mexico Economic Development Department and is administered by, Adelante Consulting, Inc. If you are a commercial or nonprofit property owner and would like to find out more, please visit https://sites.google.com/adelanteconsulting.com/nm-cpace/home or email info@nmcpace.com

This member of the Aster Family is seen in bloom by August through October. Unmistakable in our arid landscape, with its signature bright yellow flowers and mounding shape, some say this important shrub smells like sweaty armpits! USDA reports a less nose wrinkling description, "The species name “nauseosa” refers to the smell given off when the leaves or flowers are crushed, described as pineapple-like by some and foul and rubbery by others." Chamisa are often also referred to as Rubber Rabbitbrush, which refers to the rubber which is found in its sap and can vary by subspecies. It is considered to have potential for the production of resins, rubber and possibly other chemicals and is even being evaluated for insect repellents. These bushes are typically 2-4 ft. in height, but they can reach all the way to 7 ft.! This vital, end of the season pollinator provides sustenance for insects as other flowers fade before winter. The seeds from the shrub are spread widely through the wind and can sprout from the base of the plant as well.

Another feature of this powerful pollinator is that it thrives in poor conditions and has a high tolerance for coarse, and/or alkaline soils. The shrub is very helpful in stabilizing soil and restoring disturbed sites. It boasts a deep root system and is adept at establishing and producing leaf litter and helps to provide nutrients to the soil surface from its deep subsurface root system.

Local weavers used rabbitbrush for the creation of a yellow dye for centuries, also for medicine and chewing gum! In some areas, the shrub is an important browse species for mule deer, and jackrabbits as well as pronghorn, especially during the fall and winter. It also provides essential shelter smaller for mammals and birds.

Not everyone likes to see critters crawling or slithering or leaping in their own ecosystem, yet, given this is the month for celebrating the scary, we thought it might be a good time to bring up the benefits of the creatures that live around all of us and bring the jitters, shrieks and some powerful benefits that keep our environmental ecosystems and food chains in balance!

For instance, mice! It's one of the biggest concerns brought up when composting is the topic and lo and behold, mice aren't such a bad thing when they are attracted to your piles!

They aerate the soil by digging burrows, improve drainage and allow for better root growth. They also gather and store seeds, which often fall to the ground and grow, adding to biodiversity.

Mice are also an important food source for a number of predators such as owls, hawks, snakes, bobcats, foxes and coyotes, which all work together to maintain balanced populations in nature.

Of the list above, snakes are often the least understood or tolerated. Yet, they are one of the very best mousetraps; they eliminate pests. Also, no one wants to be bitten to test the research, however, research points toward snake venom as providing important ingredients for the development of blood and heart problems and also even for the control of certain types of harmful bacteria.

Bats probably get the worst rap--yet they are incredibly important in pest control and are the superheroes of our planet; they can consume up to 600 mosquitoes in just one hour! They have been shown to save agricultural production more than $3 billion each year. They also provide essential pollination and seed dispersal. Believe it or not bats make up 95% of the seed distribution for the beginning sprouts of cleared rainforests.