GRIP challenges Martinez Administration water quality rollbacks
Martinez Administration wants to weaken water quality rules
GRIP, Amigos Bravos, & NMELC challenge harmful rollbacks
The New Mexico Environment Department has proposed amendments to the state’s water quality regulations that will weaken protections for our surface and groundwater.
GRIP and Amigos Bravos, represented by the NM Environmental Law Center, have challenged these proposed changes, submitting our Statement of Position on NMED’s Petition to Amend the rules.
As a parting gift to industry polluters, the Martinez Administration wants to make the following revisions to state water quality rules which GRIP and its partners oppose:
- Create discharge permit “amendments” to allow changes in requirements for monitoring, reporting, sampling and analysis, closure plan, containment system(s), pollution control unit(s) and sewerage system(s) requirements without public notice.
- Leave off the list of toxic pollutants in NMAC 20.6.2 harmful pollutants regulated by EPA and California.
- Enact standards that could expose ten times as many people to cancer risk than EPA and states that are more serious about water protection and public health.
- Allow lifetime variances from water quality regulations that would allow industry to pollute for the life of a facility rather than provide an incentive to reduce contamination.
NMED’s petition goes before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission on November 14. We’ll keep you posted on the proceeding.