Archaeology Southwest * Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Conservation Voters New Mexico * EarthKeepers 360 *Great Old Broads for Wilderness National Parks Conservation Association * New Mexico and El Paso Interfaith Power and Light New Mexico Wild * Rio Grande Indivisible, NM * Rocky Mountain Wild * Sierra Club, Rio Grande Chapter * The Wilderness Society * WildEarth Guardians
April 29, 2025
Cindy Hollenberg
Air Quality Bureau Chief
Pamela Jones
Board Administrator
New Mexico Environmental Department
P.O. Box 5469
Santa Fe, NM 87502
Submitted Via Electronic Mail
Dear Chief Hollenberg and Ms. Jones,
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to support the New Mexico Environmental Department’s (NMED) proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision for the Second Planning Period and Proposed Companion Rule 20.2.68 NMAC – Regional Haze Requirements. The organizations represented on this letter are concerned with the pollution from natural gas processing plants, oil and gas operations, and other industrial facilities operating in New Mexico that emit haze-causing pollution that not only mar scenic vistas in our parks and wilderness areas but also harms the health of our communities. Air pollution from New Mexico’s facilities also negatively affects areas and communities outside of the state like Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and Canyonlands National Park in Utah, among others.
New Mexico is home to remarkable national parks and public lands like Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Pecos Wilderness and Bandelier National Monument and Wilderness. These areas protect and preserve unique ecosystems like the caves and karst landscape at Carlsbad Caverns. Having clean and clear air across New Mexico is important for so many reasons, including protecting the health of our communities, maintaining our ability to recreate outdoors and finding inspiration in the scenic views across the state. In landscapes like those of the Greater Chaco Region, being able to see the color and clarity of geological formations from a distance is of crucial importance to the experience people seek when visiting this area, particularly for those with sacred and cultural ties to the area.
Moreover, New Mexico’s economy benefits greatly from tourists to our state—in 2023, outdoor recreation alone contributed $3.2 billion in value to our economy and supported over 29,000 jobs1Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation, 2023: https://apps.bea.gov/data/special-topics/orsa/summary-sheets/ORSA%20-%20New%20Mexico.pdf. Protecting our air quality is vital and our communities are calling on the state of New Mexico to ensure it is doing all it can to keep our families healthy while protecting scenic views in our national parks and wilderness areas.
We applaud NMED for proposing a strong regional haze plan that will require significant reductions in haze pollution from 13 facilities, making the proposed plan one of the strongest in the nation for the second planning period. If the plan is approved and adopted as written, it will make important reasonable progress toward our national visibility goal by reducing more than 17,000 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and more than 5,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide (SO2) annually from facilities across the state. These reductions will help clear the air in our treasured public lands and communities across the Southwest.
Right now, we have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to preserve scenic vistas for future generations, keep New Mexico’s tourism thriving, and protect the health of all who live here and enjoy New Mexico’s treasured public lands.
We look forward to supporting a strong plan from NMED that will deliver improved visibility and air quality in parks and our communities.
Sincerely,
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Paul Reed T. Justin Garoutte, MPH, CPH South San Juan Broadband Desiree Bernard Oscar Simpson Antoinette Reyes Melissa Troutman |
Philip A. Francis Jr. Andrew Black Maude Dinan Sally Paez Alison Gallensky Michael Casaus |