The blue skies and scenic vistas of New Mexico are considered some of the most beautiful in the United States, but air pollution can threaten those views. Human-caused pollution of varied concentrations and sizes in the atmosphere can, along with natural events like dust storms and wildfires, impair or reduce visibility. Widespread visibility impairment caused by man-made pollutants over a broad geographic area is known as regional haze.
EPA Requirements on Regional Haze
New Mexico is required to develop and submit to EPA its own regional haze plans. NMED cooperates with the City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department (EHD), which implements air quality regulations in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Because NMED and EHD have separate jurisdictions, they submit separate Regional Haze State Implementation Plans to EPA.
Outreach, Education, and Engagement
Public comment is an important part of the regional haze planning process. Regional haze planning is currently in the second implementation period of planning. Resources for outreach, education, and comments received are identified below.
- NM Regional Haze Guiding Principles describes the strategy and goals New Mexico focuses on for addressing regional haze.
- Timeline: A new timeline for revisions to the regional haze State Implementation Plan will be posted in November 2023.
- NMED Air Quality Bureau Stakeholder Engagement: Regional Haze & Other Emerging Topics, Feb. 23, 2023 (video, 2 hours 1 minute) is part 1 of NM 2023 regional haze stakeholder re-engagement 3-part series. (Regional Haze and Emerging Issues Slides, Feb. 23, 2023).
- NMED Air Quality Bureau Stakeholder Engagement: Regional Haze & Other Emerging Topics, March 30, 2023 (video, 2 hours 17 minutes. Start of meeting is at 27:30) is part 2 of NM 2023 regional haze stakeholder re-engagement series. (Regional Haze and Emerging Issues Slides, March 30, 2023).
- NMED Air Quality Bureau Stakeholder Engagement: Regional Haze & Other Emerging Topics, April 27, 2023 (video, 1 hours 6minutes.) is part 3 of NM 2023 regional haze stakeholder re-engagement series. (Regional Haze and Emerging Issues Slides, April 27, 2023).
- Regional Haze Stakeholder Comments provides a folder of the comments from the public about regional haze.
For inquiries related to the development of the NM Regional Haze SIP, contact Mark Jones at 505-629-6626 or mark.jones@env.nm.gov. For inquiries related to the Albuquerque – Bernalillo County Regional Haze SIP, contact Allen Smith, City of Albuquerque at 505-768-2637 or morgansmith@cabq.gov. Input on New Mexico’s Regional Haze Planning can also be sent to nm.regionalhaze@env.nm.gov.
Regional Haze in National Parks and Wilderness Areas
EPA’s Regional Haze program addresses reduced visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. EPA refers to these areas as “Class I Areas.” There are 156 of these, 116 of which are in Western states.
New Mexico has 9 mandatory federal Class I Areas:
- Bandelier Wilderness Area
- Bosque del Apache Wilderness Area
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Gila Wilderness Area
- Pecos Wilderness Area (southern part) (Northern Pecos Wilderness)
- Salt Creek Wilderness Area
- San Pedro Parks Wilderness Area
- Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area
- White Mountain Wilderness Area
Regional Haze Facility Level Four Factor Analysis
Large facilities that may have a significant impact on visibility are identified as facilities of interest. The facilities of interest undergo a "four factor analysis" to assess application of potential emission control technologies to reduce haze. These factors are: the cost of control, time necessary to install controls, energy and non-air quality impacts, and remaining useful life.
NMED and City of Albuquerque EHD have selected the following for Four Factor Analysis for the 2nd Implementation Period (2019-2028). Select the links below to download the submittals and correspondence for each facility.
- Davis Gas Processing – Denton Gas Plant
- DCP – Artesia Gas Plant
- DCP – Eunice Gas Plant
- DCP – Linam Ranch Gas Plant
- El Paso Natural Gas - Blanco Compressor Station A
- El Paso Natural Gas – Pecos River Compressor Station
- El Paso Natural Gas - Washington Ranch Storage Facility
- Enterprise – Blanco Compressor C & D Station
- Enterprise – Chaco Gas Plant
- Enterprise – South Carlsbad Gas Plant
- ETC – Jal No. 3 Gas Plant
- GCC – Portland Cement Plant
- Harvest – Kutz Canyon Processing Plant
- Harvest Pipeline – San Juan Gas Plant
- IACX – Bitter Lake Compressor Station
- Oxy – Indian Basin Gas Plant
- Public Service Company of New Mexico – San Juan Generating Station
- Targa – Eunice Gas Processing Plant
- Targa – Monument Gas Plant
- Targa – Saunders Gas Plant
- Transwestern – Mountainair No. 7 Compressor Station
- Transwestern – Roswell Compressor Station No. 9
- Tri State Generation and Transmission Association – Prewitt Escalante Generating Station
- Xcel – Cunningham Station
Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Analysis and Planning Support
Regional Sulfur Dioxide Emissions and Milestone Reports
New Mexico's State Implementation Plan for regional haze, adopted by the Environmental Improvement Board on November 18, 2003, requires that New Mexico coordinate with Utah, Wyoming and the City of Albuquerque in producing an annual report to determine if emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from large industrial sources are less than the emissions milestone set in the plan. The Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) compiles the emissions data from the three states and the City of Albuquerque into a single report for submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Final Regional Sulfur Dioxide Emissions and Milestone Reports are available at www.wrapair2.org/reghaze.aspx.
Additional Resources
Discover more about regional haze planning and the views it protects in the following resources.
- EPA Visibility and Regional Haze page provides general and regulatory information about regional haze and haze reduction.
- Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) focuses on long-term monitoring of visibility and haze in National Parks and Wilderness Areas.
- Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Technical Support System provides technical support and tools to aid governments and stakeholders in regional haze assessments.
- The Landscape of Forever: Visibility Protection in the West is a story board that illustrates the diversity and majesty of the vistas that help define the uniqueness of the West.