The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announced last week that it secured funding from a $500,000 legal settlement for a new mobile air monitoring lab. The funding will allow NMED to purchase the lab, equip it with supplies, and cover startup costs, including personnel and operating needs.
The lab will be able to test air quality and weather conditions in real time in the Permian Basin, a region of the state that produces nearly 40% of the nation’s oil and has rising ozone levels. NMED says the lab will allow the agency to quickly respond to community concerns about local air quality.
For more information on NMED’s air quality initiatives, see here.
