Latest news with #NewMexicoEnvironmentDepartment
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Mexico Environment Department offers free well water testing in Taos on June 14
TAOS COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — The New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Department of Health are hosting a free domestic well water testing event in Taos on Saturday, June 14 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Taos Farmer's Market. The first 100 participants will receive the free test. Story continues below News: Surveillance video captures crash involving off-duty officer that severely injured man Events: What's happening around New Mexico June 6-12? Albuquerque Pride Parade New Mexico Strange: Holy dirt and healing water: A look at NM's miraculous locations The results will be mailed to their house within two to three weeks. Participants are asked to bring their own water sample to the event. They're also asked to bring basic information such as well depth, depth to water, well casing material, well latitude and longitude and distance from the well to the nearest septic tank or leachfield system. You can find guidelines on how to collect those samples below: 'Let the water run for two to three minutes before collecting the sample Fill a clean glass or plastic container without any odors with at least a quart or liter of your well water If the home has a whole house filtration system, collect the water at the well head prior to any filtration or softener systems, if possible Fill the container with water as close to the time of testing as possible' If someone is unable to attend but wants their well water tested, a family member or neighbor can bring the sample to the event. That sample must be clearly labeled with the owner's name, phone number, address and well information attached. 'Private well owners in Taos County can come to this water fair and find out more about the quality of their household drinking water,' Ground Water Quality Bureau Chief Justin Ball said. 'When we know what's in our well water, we can take action. Free testing helps our communities stay informed and healthy.' You can find upcoming events by the New Mexico Environment Department on their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days 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
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Mexico Environment Department offers free well water testing in Hobbs
HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) — The New Mexico Environment Department is offering free domestic well water testing for Hobbs residents on Thursday, June 5. The event is taking place at the New Mexico Junior College at 3 p.m. to be followed by a community town hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The testing is part of the 'Cabinet in Your Community' event by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The goal is to engage communities, address local issues, and improve state policies. Story continues below Crime: Albuquerque business owner faces murder charge for shooting fleeing shoplifter News: Las Vegas deputy charged with aggravated battery and robbery Business: A downtown Albuquerque shoe shine parlor is still serving patrons after nearly a century Events: What's happening around New Mexico May 30-June 5? Kirtland Air Fiesta and more Test results will be mailed to the participant's household within two to three weeks. The department says only water from homes relying on private wells for drinking water will be tested. Well water tests typically cost about $150, according to the New Mexico Environment Department. Here are some guidelines provided by the department for gathering a well water sample: 'Let the water run for two to three minutes before collecting the sample Fill a clean glass or plastic container without any odors with at least a quart or liter of yourwell water If the home has a whole-house filtration system, collect the water at the well head beforeany filtration or softener systems, if possible Fill the container with water as close to the time of testing as possible' Residents are also asked to bring basic information about the well such as 'well depth, depth to water, well casing material (such as steel or PVC), well latitude and longitude, and distance from the well to the nearest septic tank or leach field system.' If someone can't attend the event, a family member or neighbor can drop the sample off as long as it has the owner's name, phone number, address and well information attached. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
