Clean energy comes from zero-emission sources that don’t pollute the environment or the communities around them.
It’s often used interchangeably with “renewable energy” — energy from natural sources that replenish themselves and never run out. Wind and solar are the two most common examples, harnessing resources that are constantly available on Earth.
The Four Corners region is a prime location for solar and wind development. New Mexico in particular stands out thanks to its abundant sunlight and the transmission infrastructure left over from earlier eras of energy development.
Clean energy means
Zero pollution to our air and water
Healthy air and healthy jobs
Sustainable energy
What is the Clean Energy Transition?
The Clean Energy Transition is the shift away from fossil fuels — coal, oil, and gas, which emit greenhouse gases harmful to both public health and the environment — toward zero-emission sources like wind and solar.
But the transition is about more than swapping one energy source for another. It also means pursuing equity, cleaning up contaminated industrial sites and building clean energy on that reclaimed land, and creating good jobs in the communities that need them most.
Pursuing Equity
Pursuing equity for Indigenous and other local communities
Cleaning Up
Cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells
Repurpose Land and Infrastructure
Repurposing old power plant infrastructure
Creating Jobs
And opportunities for community members’ professional development
The clean energy transition is underway.
Why is it Happening Now?
Historically, energy development in the Four Corners region was driven by lucrative economics, creating a robust extractive industry.
Today, those same economics — along with the social and environmental benefits — are shifting in a new direction. Non-renewables have dominated the narrative for a long time, but that’s changing. The transition is underway — and in New Mexico, it’s now backed by law.
The Energy Transition Act: Turning Intent Into Policy
New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act (ETA), passed in 2019, is the state’s answer to the equity concerns at the heart of the Clean Energy Transition. Built through a broad coalition of environmental, labor, and community groups working alongside PNM and the state administration, the bill sets a firm timeline to transition away from fossil fuels.
Did You Know?
The Energy Transition Act:
Funded $40 million for San Juan County economic development, worker compensation, and job retraining;
Allocated at least $30 million for reclamation of the San Juan Generating Station; and
Ensures that 450 MW of replacement power is directed to the county.
San Juan Citizens Alliance created this website as an educational hub — a place to understand the region’s shift away from coal and gas, grounded in real data on jobs, health, water, and climate. We track this the Four Corners Clean Energy Transition closely and work to make sure it happens fairly, transparently, and in the community’s interest. Our goal is simple: the more people understand what this transition means for their community, the stronger public support and engagement will be in making it just and equitable for everyone who calls the Four Corners home.
Thank you to EcoFlight and Benjamin Hunter for their aerial images, and to Creative Geckos for other photos and design.
To learn more about the Four Corners Clean Energy Transition, what San Juan Citizens is doing, and how you can get more involved, contact us at info@sanjuancitizens.org.
