NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) released its first quarter performance assessment report for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) that offers the public, stakeholders, and legislators the opportunity to track the department’s progress in protecting public health and the environment between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2024.
The beginning of the FY25 saw a diverse range of achievements for NMED, with innovative and essential PFAS initiatives taking center stage. The department also took decisive action against out-of-compliance drinking water systems throughout the state and launched a program to assist rural New Mexicans in fixing failing septic systems.
First quarter accomplishments highlighted in the report include:
- Providing free NMED-funded blood testing for PFAS in the Clovis area to 500 residents in affected communities. In response to overwhelming community interest, NMED and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMHealth) offered an additional 250 blood tests for PFAS exposure.
- Amending New Mexico’s lawsuit against the United States regarding per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in and around military communities. The amended lawsuit utilizes a newly finalized U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that went into effect on July 8, 2024, that allows the state to recover the costs of clean-up actions and monetary damages for natural resources.
- Informing more than 100 water systems of impending civil penalties if they continue to serve consumers unsafe drinking water. Those who received a letter must submit a plan to resolve their violation within 15 calendar days or risk a penalty of up to $1,000 per day afterward as well as other sanctions by NMED or the EPA. The drinking water systems who were notified include a number of schools, a Boy Scout camp, and other sensitive populations.
- Initiating a total of 459 enforcement actions in the first quarter of FY25, with a large segment being violations against out-of-compliance drinking systems throughout the state. In addition, 234 cases were resolved in the same time period.
- Investing $200,000 to launch the Liquid Waste Assistance Fund, a new program aimed at helping New Mexicans repair and replace failing septic systems that are threatening human health and the environment. The program is targeted to homeowners in need of the financial support, with income limits based on U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, which vary per county and are revised yearly.
- Reporting potential air quality violations at 60% of the Permian Basin oil and gas facilities inspected in a major enforcement push in partnership with the EPA. Suspected criminal violations were referred to New Mexico’s Environmental Crimes Task Force for further investigation and potential criminal prosecution of companies or individuals.
NMED completed 2,425 compliance inspections in Q1 and saw a net gain of 11 filled staff positions representing a 2% increase in the number of filled positions, from 559 to 570.
For FY25, NMED received recurring appropriations totaling $198.5 million to protect public health and the environment. This included $33.3 million in general funds, $67.9 million in special revenue funds (e.g., permit fees), and $97.3 million in federal funds.
Protecting public health is a paramount concern, requiring substantial investment. The allocated resources will be utilized to implement crucial programs and initiatives. These efforts aim to address critical environmental challenges and safeguard communities from their effects, while also furthering the state’s long-term sustainability goals and promote economic development.
The performance report, developed by NMED’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, provides data on 56 performance measures over five broad categories for FY25.
Those categories are:
- 32 compliance measures;
- 10 environmental protection measures;
- Seven public health measures;
- Four economic investment measures; and
- Three operational measures.
NMED uses these assessments to provide additional context and information to the public and the legislature.
Enforcement efforts resulted in four programs beating their quarterly compliance targets.
Those programs are:
- Solid Waste Program: 100% in compliance, 10% above fiscal year goal;
- Liquid Waste Program: 99.8% in compliance, 13.8% above fiscal year goal;
- Ground Water Quality Program: 97.4% in compliance, 9.4% above fiscal year goal; and
- Radiation Control Program: 94.8% in compliance, 4.8% above fiscal year goal.
View the FY25 entire Q1 Performance Assessment here.