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Air Quality Bureau

Regional Haze

The blue skies and scenic vistas of New Mexico are considered some of the most beautiful in the United States. While New Mexico's residents and visitors frequently enjoy good visibility, air pollutants interfering with light transmission can impose limitations on aesthetic appreciation of scenery. Visibility is the term used to characterize physical limitations in the atmosphere that affect our ability to see clearly. Human caused pollution of varied concentrations and sizes in the atmosphere can impair or reduce visibility. Widespread visibility impairment caused by pollutants from a variety of sources and activities over a broad geographic area is known as regional haze.

The entire Regional Haze State Implementation Plan and Infrastructure State Implementation Plan for the 1997 ozone and PM2.5 standard submittals can be found here.

Revisions to New Mexico's State Implementation Plan for Interstate Transport under the Clean Air Act Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii). Information on this SIP proposed revision can be found on our Proposed Air Quality Plans and Regulations page.

 

2010 Sulfur Dioxide Milestone Report, 2011 Audit and 2018 Projected Inventory

The 2010 Sulfur Dioxide Milestone Report, 2011 Audit and 2018 Projected Inventory are now available for public review and comment. Comments will be accepted through March 2, 2012.

 

Decision

On June 2, 2011 the Environmental Improvement Board unanimously voted to approve New Mexico's State Implementation Plan for Regional Haze.

 

Comments Received (note: comments from EPA and Federal Land Managers are included below under Notices of Intent to Present Technical Testimony)

On May 27, 2011 the EIB and NMED received comments from the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of Dine CARE, Natural Resources Defense Council, New Energy Economy, New Mexico Sportsman, the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Sierra Club, San Juan Citizens Alliance, and WildEarth Guardians.

  • Western Environmental Law Center Letter dated May 27, 2011
    • Exhibit A - Letter from San Juan Citizens Alliance to NMED dated May 3, 2011
    • Exhibit B - Letter from State of Colorado to U.S. EPA dated April 4, 2011
    • Exhibit C - EPA notes from meetings and conference calls regarding San Juan Generating Station BART
    • Exhibit D - NMED's San Juan Generating Station NOx BART Determination dated June 21, 2010

 

 

Notices of Intent to Present Technical Testimony

On May 20, 2011 NMED submitted a supplemental Notice of Intent to Present Technical Testimony to the Environmental Improvement Board including responses to comments received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6 and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.

 

On May 17, 2011 the Natural Resources Defense Council, San Juan Citizens Alliance, and WildEarth Guardians submitted an entry of appearance.

 

On May 17, 2011 Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) and San Juan Coal Company submitted Notices of Intent to Present Technical Testimony.

 

On May 16, 2011 NMED submitted a notice of receipt of EPA comments to the Environmental Improvement Board.

 

On May 2, 2011 NMED submitted its Notice of Intent to Present Technical Testimony to the Environmental Improvement Board.

 

Public Meetings

The Air Quality Bureau held two public meetings on these proposed revisions.

 

Public Hearing on Regional Haze State Implementation Plan

On February 28, 2011, the Environment Department submitted a proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) under 40 CFR 51.309 to the Environmental Improvement Board. The Board has scheduled a public hearing for June 1 in Santa Fe at the State Capitol building, and on June 2 (3 and 4 if needed) in Farmington at San Juan College.

 

Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) has submitted to the Environment Department an updated Best Available Retrofit Technology analysis focused on selective non-catalytic reduction technology (SNCR) for nitrogen oxides (NOx) on its San Juan Generating Station.

 

On December 20, 2010, the Environment Department submitted a proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) under 40 CFR 51.309 to the Environmental Improvement Board. The Department intends to request a hearing on the SIP at the Board's scheduled January meeting.

 

Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) filed a motion for continuance of the hearing on Regional Haze and the San Juan Generating Station Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) Determination. The Environmental Improvement Board granted the motion. The Department withdrew its petition for a hearing on December 17.

 

The New Mexico Environment Department submitted a proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) under 40 CFR 51.308 to the Environmental Improvement Board on June 21, 2010. At the Board meeting on July 6, the Board scheduled the hearing for October 4, 2010. The following documents were submitted to the Board:

 

Comments and attachments from the National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service on the Proposed SIP

 

The New Mexico Environment Department reviewed Public Service Company of New Mexico's (PNM) analysis for Best Available Retrofit Technology for nitrogen oxides (NOx) on its San Juan Generating Station. Following are documents NMED received from PNM on their analysis.

PNM San Juan Generating Station BART Analysis

 

In November 2003, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board approved NMED's proposed regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) under Section 309 of the Regional Haze Rule, along with implementing regulations. The approved SIP and regulations can be accessed using these links.

Regional Haze SIP (download appendices separately below)

 

Updated Visibility Data - received October 16, 2007

 

 

Regional Haze Issues

Regional Haze is haze that reduces long range visibility over a wide region, that is, over a portion of a state or several states. Haze is caused by fine particles in the air that are so small they settle out only very slowly.  Because of the harm that haze does to visibility in National Parks and wilderness areas, many efforts to control and reduce man-made haze, and the air pollutants that cause it, are under way - through national laws and regional collaboration.  Such a collaboration, involving states, Indian tribes, industry, and environmental advocates, is the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), under the auspices of the Western Governors' Association.

The WRAP develops the technical and policy tools needed by the western states and tribes to comply with the EPA's regional haze regulations.  WRAP activities are conducted by a network of forums and committees composed of members and stakeholders who represent a wide range of viewpoints; public involvement is an integral part of the Partnership.  For more information on the WRAP, please visit their web site.

Here are more links to sites that work with visibility and regional haze issues:

Reasonable Progress 4 Factor Evaluation Project

§308(d)(1) of the Regional Haze Rule requires States to set reasonable progress goals toward meeting a national goal of natural visibility conditions in Class I areas by the year 2064. The first reasonable progress goals will be established for the planning period 2008 to 2018 and the Regional Haze Rule identifies four factors which should be considered in evaluating potential emission control measures to meet those visibility goals. As listed in §308(d)(1)(i) these four factors are as follows:

  1.    Cost of compliance
  2.    Time necessary for compliance
  3.    Energy and non-air quality environmental impacts of compliance
  4.    Remaining useful life of any existing source subject to such requirements

Several WRAP States requested help in evaluating these four factors for additional control measures (beyond BART).  These States first requested evaluation of a series of General Source Categories.  In addition, five states (including New Mexico), also identified specific Stationary Sources located within their respective states for which they wanted a detailed control evaluation conducted.  

The Scope of Work for this project, the specific source spreadsheet and drafts of the control measure evaluation reports are now posted on the Implementation Workgroup “documents” page at:

            http://www.wrapair.org/forums/iwg/docs.html

Final Sulfur Dioxide Milestone Report

New Mexico's state implementation plan for regional haze, adopted by the Environmental Improvement Board on November 18, 2003, requires that New Mexico cooperate with four other states in producing an annual report to determine if emissions of sulfur dioxide from large industrial sources are less than the emissions milestone set in the plan. The final report for calendar year 2003 is now available at http://www.wrapair.org, or you may contact the New Mexico Air Quality Bureau for a copy of the report at (505) 827-1494 or by mail at the address below.  

The report shows that total emissions of sulfur dioxide from large sources in the five states –  New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Oregon – were 329,455 tons, while the milestone is 446,908 tons.  Therefore, the report demonstrates that emissions in the five states are 72% of the milestone and the states have met the requirements of the plan for 2003.

Requests for copies of the final report  may be submitted by electronic mail to Rita Bates at rita.bates@state.nm.us or may be mailed to: 

     Rita Bates
     Air Quality Bureau
     New Mexico Environment Department
     1301 Siler Rd., Building B
     Santa Fe, NM 87507
     ATTN: SO2 Milestone Report

 

Draft 2007 Regional SO2 Emissions and Milestone Report available for public review and comment - click here

The Federal Regional Haze Rule and Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat Format)

Annex to the Regional Haze Rule and Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat Format)

Additional Recommendations Report

The Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC) issued in 1996 a set of recommendations for protecting visibility in mandatory federal Class I areas on the Colorado Plateau in its report entitled Recommendations for Improving Western Vistas.  Many, but not all, of the GCVTC recommendations were included in the Regional Haze Rule.  The report below describes measures being taken in New Mexico to implement the GCVTC recommendations that were not in the Regional Haze Rule.  Although not a part of New Mexico's SIP, this report was compiled in accordance with Section 309(d)(9) of the Regional Haze Rule and will be updated periodically.

New Mexico's Progress on GCVTC Report Recommendations, December 2003

 

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