Latest news with #NMED
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
As temperatures rise, New Mexico heat-rule champions push back against delay
Conservation Voters New Mexico Climate and Energy Advocate Justin Garoutte urged the New Mexico Environment Department to 'hold strong' on worker protections against heat, both indoors and outside, as the the department annouced a delay and revision of its proposed heat rule later this year. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) Environmental and labor advocates expressed concerns during a news conference Monday about the New Mexico environment department's decision to extend the timeline for a proposed rule to protect workers from heat-related illness and injury. The delay comes as forecasts predict another warmer-than-average summer. NMED cited rising temperatures and increased heat-related injuries and deaths when it announced the proposed rule earlier this year. Under the original timeline, the rule could have taken effect as early as July. Its provisions include: required rest periods during hot temperatures; access to adequate shade, air-conditioning and water; and employer tracking of heat-related injuries. Amid rising temperatures, NM officials propose workplace protections NMED's revised schedule pushes hearings into the fall and 'leaves another summer where our workers are vulnerable to extreme heat in New Mexico,' Conservation Voters New Mexico Climate and Energy Advocate Justin Garoutte said. A Friday state news release said the delay 'will allow for continued outreach and stakeholder engagement throughout the summer and fall, ensuring broader participation and input in the rulemaking process.' More than 600 public comments have already been submitted on the proposed rule, according to Source NM's review. These include opposition from industry groups representing livestock, landscapers, oil and gas, restaurants, county governments and utilities. The New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, for instance, asked for clarifications on how the rule would be applied across several industries and wrote: 'We urge regulators to reject this rule as there is not sufficient data to justify any of these rules. Good employers protect their employees, but mandating all industries to follow one blanket rule will not work.' Eleven New Mexico Democratic senators, however, issued a letter supporting the new standards and noted that 'public comment opposed to the rule include a great deal of unscientific claims, compounded with echoes of the federal administration's ideological bent to oppose all government action.' During Monday's news conference, Garoutte said advocates for the rule are 'committed to getting through a rule that's as strong as possible' and 'we are here today to push back on industry groups who are claiming it's too hard, too fast and too burdensome.' In the meantime, 'we hope that our employers will use this time to put in place the commonsense protections detailed so well in the proposed rule,' he said. 'Every day that passes without this rule is another day that people across our state are exposed to dangerous and sometimes deadly working conditions.' Six other states — Maryland, California, Nevada, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington — have adopted statewide regulations to reduce heat stress in the workplace. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Countdown to clean fuels: New Mexico targets 2026 for new standards
May 31—New Mexico could implement new standards for more environmentally friendly transportation fuels, everything from gasoline to electricity, as soon as next year if the state Environment Department gets the OK. Meanwhile, efforts are afoot in Washington to block state requirements around clean cars, something Republican legislators in New Mexico hope will successfully trickle down to transportation fuels, too. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last year signed off on legislation to establish a statewide program around clean transportation fuel standards. The law requires annually reduced transportation carbon emissions — the top greenhouse gas emitter in the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — in the coming years. The New Mexico Environment Department this month submitted proposed rules for the transportation program, and the rulemaking process is set to continue in early June. If approved, New Mexico would become the fourth state in the nation to adopt clean fuel standards. "Under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's leadership, New Mexico is diversifying its economy while addressing climate emissions — proving once again you don't have to choose between the two," NMED Secretary James Kenney said in a statement. How it works The 2024 Democrat-backed legislation, House Bill 41, amended the Environmental Improvement Act to allow a state board housed within NMED, the Environmental Improvement Board, to enact a clean transportation fuel standard. NMED has spent the last year drafting the rules. The department submitted its proposal to the board two weeks ago, a draft that spanned more than 100 pages. Essentially, it sets up a market around transportation fuels, which are considered gasoline, diesel, petroleum gas, natural gas, hydrogen and electricity. Fuel producers and importers who bring in a fuel that exceeds the state's carbon intensity standard — a set measure of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases — would have to buy "clean fuel credits" from those who produce below the standard. Entities can then sell, trade, retire or generate the credits. The clean fuel standard itself follows a 2018 baseline from carbon intensities generated by gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The proposed rule would mandate annual carbon intensity reductions in fuels, to meet legally required milestones: at least 20% below 2018 levels by 2030, and at least 30% below 2018 levels by 2040. "This is a hefty rule," said Michelle Miano, director of NMED's Environmental Protection Division. There are already entities waiting to participate in the market, Miano said. Participation is voluntary for entities generating credits, like utility companies. Public Service Company of New Mexico has voiced its support for the program, and other companies — like clean energy business 3Degrees and automotive tech and manufacturing company Rivian — that operate in other clean transportation fuel markets in the U.S. participated in a public comment period in January to support and influence how New Mexico's program will work. NMED officials also touted new economic opportunities that could come with the $3 billion alternative fuels market, attracting investments in industries like clean hydrogen or renewable propane. Not everyone is eager for the program rollout, though. House Republican Minority Leader Gail Armstrong of Magdalena warned the program risks higher fuel prices. It's an argument reminiscent of those during last year's legislative session, though Miano said larger market forces and oil prices drive rates at the pump, not clean fuel programs. "House Republicans had serious concerns about HB 41 from the start — and what's unfolding now confirms those concerns," Armstrong said in a statement to the Journal. "The governor's push for a clean transportation fuel program creates a costly new regulatory burden that builds an unnecessary framework of credit trading and compliance rules." She also said she's closely watching federal efforts to overturn mandates like this. Last week, the U.S. Senate passed multiple resolutions overturning waivers that allow states to adopt emissions standards more ambitious than at the federal level. It specifically targets mandates around advanced clean cars, trucks and heavy-duty engines — though not fuels. In response, a group of 11 governors, including New Mexico's, launched the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition of the U.S. Climate Alliance. It's an effort to defend states' clean transportation standards. "The federal government and Congress are putting polluters over people and creating needless chaos for consumers and the market, but our commitment to safeguarding Americans' fundamental right to clean air is resolute," the 11 governors said in a joint statement. Miano said since the clean transportation fuels program is state-based, it's largely insulated from "federal uncertainties." "That's the great part about this program, is that it is a state program and a state market," she said, "and that it will ensure that New Mexico is the place that receives the clean fuels and clean energy economic investments that are uncertain in other parts of the country."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NM environment department sues CRRUA water system
NMED filed suit against CRRUA on May 28, 2025 after what it characterized as a decade of mismanagement. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) New Mexico's environment department on Wednesday announced it has filed a lawsuit against the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority and has asked the Third Judicial District Court to appoint an independent manager to oversee its operations. The suit follows more than a decade of 'mismanagement at the utility,' NMED states in a news release, including recent and repeated failed arsenic tests. As Source reported last week, tests the agency itself took at CCRUA on May 7 recorded arsenic levels at the Santa Teresa Industrial Park plant that violated the federal limit, marking the third overage recorded at the plant in recent weeks, although the other tests were from voluntary tests. New CRRUA arsenic violation prompts NMED to evaluate taking emergency action CRRUA serves approximately 19,000 people in the border city of Sunland Park, Santa Theresa and the southernmost portion of Doña Ana County, an area with naturally occurring high levels of arsenic in the groundwater. Sunland Park and Doña Ana County jointly operate the utility, which is governed by a seven-member board. At its May 13 meeting, the Doña Ana Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to send immediate notice to Sunland Park to start the termination process of the Joint Powers Agreement. Environment Department Secretary James Kenney subsequently urged Sunland Park to also sever its ties with CRRUA, and acknowledged in an interview with Source NM it was an unusual step for him to take. 'We're weighing in at this point because we've had it,' he said. 'While we're exhausting our enforcement, our legal approaches, we have another approach: We have to speak about it.' Now, with its lawsuit, NMED is asking the courts to order CRRUA to: • implement real-time arsenic monitoring • distribute free arsenic test strips for all CRRUA customers • provide an alternative drinking water source if arsenic levels exceed state limits • conduct monthly public meetings • and pay civil penalties which, per state law, fund drinking water and wastewater utility operators for communities across New Mexico 'While the Environment Department has invested significant technical resources to assist CRRUA in fulfilling its duty to deliver safe and reliable drinking water, its failures continue to threaten public health,' Kenney said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Today's lawsuit and request to appoint an independent manager to oversee CRRUA signals a new approach in Environment Department efforts to protect the health of communities when they turn on their tap.' NMED's news release also notes that last July it placed 138 drinking systems across the state on notice, and that the City of Las Vegas and Cassandra Water System in Moriarity remain out of compliance.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NMED seeks approval to enact clean fuels rule by end of the year
Traffic along Tramway road captured May 21, 2025. New Mexico put forward draft rules for its clean fuels program, and officials hope hearings will begin later this year. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) As the Trump administration attacks states' efforts to combat climate change, New Mexico pushes ahead with its plans to create a market place for clean fuels. Last week, the New Mexico Environment Department proposed the Clean Transportation Fuel Program to the state's Environmental Improvement Board, which, if approved, would be the fourth one in the country. A public comment period on the 112-page draft rule is expected to start in mid-June, according to an NMED news release, with a request to schedule the required hearings this fall. The draft rule follows the New Mexico Legislature's 2024 passage of House Bill 41, which mandated the environment department create a market to incentivize less vehicular pollution and the state reduce emissions by 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2040. The law sets a deadline of July 1, 2026 for the adoption of rules creating the marketplace. Officials and proponents say the program is meant to reduce pollution over time by allowing cleaner fuel companies — using electricity or diesel made from refined plants like corn or soybeans — to sell credits to sellers of more polluting fuels. In its proposed rule, NMED created an objective measure, called the clean fuel standard, to determine the total greenhouse emissions of a fuel. The standard measures the 'well-to-wheel' intensity, said Michelle Miano, who leads NMED's Environmental Protection Division. 'It includes the drilling of the well, taking up petroleum or fossil products from the well, what it takes to refine, take to market and go to sale,' she said. 'We are calculating the carbon intensity of that entire lifecycle and we're doing that for all the different kinds of fuels.' Miano said the marketplace meets the goals of diversifying the economy; working to curb pollution; and incentivizing fuel producers to reduce their carbon footprints. New Mexico would be the fourth state to adopt this kind of program, behind California, Washington and Oregon. Miano said the program will be entirely state-run, and doesn't require federal input. 'This is a state program and state law, so no matter what happens at the federal level, this program will remain in place so that the economic benefits are received by New Mexico, regardless of federal movements,' Miano said. Transportation ranks as New Mexico's second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions behind oil and gas production, according to Travis Madsen, the transportation program director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a nonprofit that advocates for electrification across the intermountain West. 'Most of that is burning petroleum in cars and trucks,' he told Source NM. 'And in order to reduce those emissions, we need to move our transportation and energy supplies towards less emitting, or zero-emitting energy sources — that's what the clean fuel standard aims to do.' Madsen said the efforts to use renewables on the electrical grid and the further adoption of electric cars at home could translate to cost-savings. 'Using electricity instead of gasoline can provide some major savings on fuel costs for residents or businesses, and I'm expecting that the net effect of this policy is going to be that New Mexicans save money,' he said. Madsen referenced recent proposals from House Republicans to gut clean energy tax credits and pollution rules as a driving reason for New Mexico to create the program. 'I think the federal government is definitely not moving toward emission reductions and is probably moving away. That would push things in the wrong direction and make it harder for New Mexico to achieve those pollution reduction goals that it set out,' he said. 'I think it's even more important now that New Mexico pursues actions that it can take on its own without the help of the federal government — the clean fuel standard is a prime example of that.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CRRUA: Arsenic plant ‘slightly' above guidelines passes 2nd follow-up test
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) said it completed the second of two follow-up tests of an arsenic treatment facility (ATF) that 'slightly' exceeded the federal limit for arsenic in the utility's voluntary monthly tests for April. CRRUA follow-up test of arsenic plant 'slightly' above guidelines CRRUA provides water and wastewater services to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) MCL for arsenic is 10 parts per billion (ppb). The second follow-up test results for the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF were 8 ppb, which is below the 12 ppb in the first follow-up test and the 12 ppb in the CRRUA voluntary monthly test for April, the utility said. CRRUA said results are from Eurofins Environment Testing, an independent water lab certified by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), from samples taken on May 14. CRRUA: 1 arsenic plant 'slightly' above guidelines The first follow-up test was conducted on May 6, the utility said. CRRUA voluntarily conducted the two follow-up tests at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF as a 'self-governance measure and to assure customers that water at the facility meets government regulatory standards,' the utility said. 'This is the second straight NMED quarterly compliance test period in which all four CRRUA ATFs passed based on the RAA,' CRRUA Executive Director Juan Crosby said. 'Although the New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) recent quarterly sample reported an arsenic level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF, which exceeds the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 ppb, it is important to clarify that federal and state regulations determine compliance based on the Running Annual Average (RAA) of arsenic levels, not on a single sample result,' Crosby said. 'CRRUA remains in compliance with arsenic standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and our Arsenic Treatment Facilities continue to operate as intended. We are committed to maintaining full transparency by sharing results from both regulatory samples and voluntary testing. Our priority is to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality drinking water to our community,' Crosby added. The utility said results of NMED's second quarter 2025 arsenic tests from water samples taken May 7, confirm that based on the RAA, the Border Entry ATF (RAA 3.8 ppb,) Santa Teresa Industrial ATF (RAA 8.3 ppb,) Santa Teresa Community ATF (5.5 ppb,) and Sunland Park ATF (6.3 ppb) are NMED compliant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
