Earlier this month, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) released a proposed rule that will improve air quality for all New Mexicans by establishing innovative and actionable regulations to curb the formation of ground-level ozone in the state’s most affected regions and also slash emissions of greenhouse gases.
Once finalized, the new rule will reduce emissions of ozone precursor pollutants – volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen – by nearly 260 million pounds annually and reduce methane emissions by more than 851 million pounds annually. The rule will apply in New Mexico counties with high ozone levels.
“We undertook a two-year planning process, engaging with thousands of New Mexicans across the state, scientists and researchers inside and outside of our agencies, oil and gas operators, and environmental organizations,” says NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney, who chairs the ECOS Cross-Media Committee and co-chairs the ECOS Oil & Gas Caucus. “We listened closely during the public comment process, we invested significant staffing resources, and we delivered nationally leading oil and gas rule as a result.”
For more information on the proposed rule, click here.
