The blue skies and scenic vistas of New Mexico are considered to be 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On September 11, 2024, NMED petitioned the Environmental Improvement Board to adopt New Mexico\u2019s proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision for the Second Implementation Period and new companion rule 20.2.68 NMAC \u2013 Regional Haze Requirements. All documents related to the matter, designated EIB 24-49 (R), are available on NMED\u2019s Docketed Matters web page at https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/opf\/docketed-matters\/<\/strong><\/a>. To locate the documents, click on \u201cEnvironmental Improvement Board\u201d to display the drop-down list of matters before the Board, then click on \u201cEIB 24-49: In the Matter of Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision for the Second Planning Period and Proposed Companion Rule 20.2.68 NMAC \u2013 Regional Haze Requirements\u201d to display the drop-down list of documents filed in conjunction with the matter. Direct links to the proposed plan and companion rule are provided below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On April 28-30, 2025, the Environmental Improvement Board held a public hearing on New Mexico\u2019s proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision and new companion rule 20.2.68 NMAC \u2013 Regional Haze Requirements. Numerous witnesses testified during the hearing on behalf of NMED, El Paso Natural Gas Company, Enterprise Field Services, and Targa Resources, and members of the public had multiple opportunities to provide public comment. Links to recordings of the proceedings are provided below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On December 8, 2025, the Environmental Improvement Board deliberated on New Mexico\u2019s proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision and the new companion rule, 20.2.68 NMAC \u2013 Regional Haze Requirements. The Board voted unanimously<\/a> to adopt both the proposed plan and the companion rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On January 26, 2026, the Board issued its Final Order and Statement of Reasons formally adopting New Mexico\u2019s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan Revision and rule 20.2.68 NMAC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The adopted rule and accompanying NMAC Transmittal Form were filed with the State Records Center and Archives on February 10, 2026. The rule is scheduled for publication in the New Mexico Register on February 24, 2026, and will become effective on April 1, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Links to the adopted documents are provided below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the effective date of 20.2.68 NMAC is April 1, 2026,\u00a0emission limitation compliance deadlines are contingent upon approval of the SIP Revision\u202fand\u00a0companion\u00a0rule\u202fby the\u202fU.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u202fpursuant to\u202fSections 110 and 169A of the Clean Air Act. The Regional Haze SIP Revision was submitted to EPA on March 17, 2026. The transmittal letter is linked below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n EPA\u2019s Regional Haze program<\/a> addresses reduced visibility in\u202fnational parks and wilderness areas<\/a>. EPA refers to these areas as \u201cClass I Areas.\u201d\u202fThere are 156 of these, 116 of which are in Western states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Mexico has 9 mandatory federal Class I Areas: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>. For inquiries related to the Albuquerque \u2013 Bernalillo County Regional Haze SIP, contact Allen Smith, City of Albuquerque at 505-768-2637 or morgansmith@cabq.gov<\/a>. Input on New Mexico\u2019s Regional Haze Planning can also be sent to nm.regionalhaze@env.nm.gov<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 https:\/\/westar.org\/regional-haze\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The blue skies and scenic vistas of New Mexico are considered to be 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-39","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1778,"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions\/1778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.env.nm.gov\/air-quality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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EPA Requirements on Regional Haze<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Outreach, Education, and Engagement (Historical)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Analysis and Planning Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Regional Sulfur Dioxide Emissions and Milestone Reports<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n