From our New Mexico advocates for environmental justice and for people to have clean air, please read the message below.
The Haze affects various National Parks and we are particularly concerned with Carlsbad Caverns, which is also the opening visitation point with the Immersion Retreat Experiences. Please feel free to share this information with your contacts in New Mexico. If anyone is interested in giving comment please contact joankansas@swcp.com. The deadline is April 23.
Testimony can be given virtually, in person or written. Spoken testimony is preferred. The hearing officer contact is Pamela Jones.
Process Information
• NMED proposed its Round 2 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) on February 11,2025. More information can be found here: https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/reg-haze/
• Written comments are due by April 30, 2025 and can be submitted via the public comment
portal: https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=fT7HAYPUN or via electronic or physical mail to
Pamela Jones, Board Administrator, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502, or
pamela.jones@env.nm.gov.
• The Environmental Improvement Board will hold a three-day virtual and in-person public hearing from April 28-30, 2025 from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. local time. More information on the hearing can be found here (registration is not required). The virtual log-on information will be posted at a date closer to the hearing or you can contact Pamela directly. Usually times for public comment at at the beginning, middle and end of the day, but varies.
* Virtual comment time is usually 3 minutes and can be offered at the beginning or end of the day and sometimes at mid-day. This information will be available closer to the date.
It is important to approach your comments from a personal and a faith or spiritual context. Some specific points from Melissa with the Permian Coalition. Important Points:
portal: https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=fT7HAYPUN or via electronic or physical mail to
Pamela Jones, Board Administrator, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502, or
pamela.jones@env.nm.gov.
• The Environmental Improvement Board will hold a three-day virtual and in-person public hearing from April 28-30, 2025 from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. local time. More information on the hearing can be found here (registration is not required). The virtual log-on information will be posted at a date closer to the hearing or you can contact Pamela directly. Usually times for public comment at at the beginning, middle and end of the day, but varies.
* Virtual comment time is usually 3 minutes and can be offered at the beginning or end of the day and sometimes at mid-day. This information will be available closer to the date.
It is important to approach your comments from a personal and a faith or spiritual context. Some specific points from Melissa with the Permian Coalition. Important Points:
- Carlsbad Caverns is ranked 4th for hazy skies and 5th for unhealthy air out of the 399 parks nationwide
- Natural gas processing plants and oil and gas operations are overwhelmingly the sectors that emit the most haze-causing pollution in New Mexico.
- NMED...proposes to require 13 facilities to install new pollution control measures, including replacing outdated equipment with newer, more efficient models and installing advanced post-combustion controls.
- These combined controls and upgrades are expected to reduce more than 17,000 tons per year of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and more than 5,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from facilities across the state.
- Can we have pollution controls in other facilities?
- – Conducting a thorough assessment of the impacts haze pollution is having on nearby communities.
The New Mexico Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) rulemaking is happening before the NM EIB on April 28-30th (hearing notice here). The SIP will protect our national parks from visibility-impacting haze, and will improve air quality for all of us in the process.
NPCA has written up talking points (attached) for anyone who would like to submit public comment (oral is preferable to written), and here is a link to the non-technical community sign-on letter (please sign on by COB 4/23).
NPCA has written up talking points (attached) for anyone who would like to submit public comment (oral is preferable to written), and here is a link to the non-technical community sign-on letter (please sign on by COB 4/23).
Please reach out to me, Maude Dinan (mdinan@npca.org), or Natalie Levine (nlevine@npca.org) if you have any questions, and thanks for your consideration!
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