NM IPL Provides Public Comment About New Mexico’s Regional Haze Plan

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Sister Joan Brown, OSF and Clara Sims, Assistant Executive Director of NM-IPL, provided public comment on April 29 before the Environmental Improvement Board about New Mexico’s Regional Haze Plan. Sister Joan made the following comment:

 

“Thank you for this hearing. It is important to affirm leadership in caring for our precious and sacred lands that millions of people experience as a source of healing, awe, nourishment and hope in our times. It is also important to call us to even greater responsibility. Many of our parks, especially Carlsbad Caverns is affected by haze pollution emitted by New Mexico’s industrial facilities. 

 

In 2024 Pope Francis in one of many addresses reflected upon the 10th anniversary of the teaching document Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home with a disheartened spirit. He lamented that we had not yet learned to act strongly to care for and protect Earth. He said, “There is a need to act with urgency, compassion and determination, since the stakes could not be higher.”

 

While I am concerned about all of our parks, I am speaking most strongly about Carlsbad Caverns because I go there often. At least twice a year NM & El Paso IPL takes a group of people of faith on an Immersion Retreat Experience to Southeast New Mexico and we always begin at this sacred place, what we call a Cathedral of the Earth. However, Carlsbad Caverns currently, ranks number 4th for hazy skies and 5th for unhealthy air out of the 399 parks nationwide. This is not how we should treat our public places for which we have a sacred trust to protect into the far future. Those who visit the Caverns and region are very aware of the haze and are also concerned for the communities of people living there.

 

Natural gas processing plants and oil and gas operations emit the most haze-causing pollution in New Mexico. NMED has released a strong draft for the state implementation plan that highlights 23 facilities for haze emissions reduction analysis and action, including natural gas processing plants and oil and gas compressor stations, but action is only proposed for 13 facilities for installation of pollution controls. Why not all 23?

 

We are grateful for the constant work of NMED and are grateful that among states New Mexico has the strongest proposed plan, but we are also second in the nation in oil and gas production from the Permian and this causes oversized haze and pollution. We support a strong plan and the continued work of NMED including enforceable retirement of any sources currently excluded from an analysis of emissions reduction measures. Several examples that have been brought to my attention are the Cunningham Station Power Plant and the South Carlsbad Compressor Station’s stationary combustion engines. We are also concerned about the health and well-being of communities and invite a thorough assessment of impacts of haze pollution for these communities. 

 

We are grateful for steps that NMED is taking and encourage continued ethical and moral leadership to Care for Our Common Home.”

IPL NM & El Paso Thanks the New Mexico Congressional Delegation for Voting Against Undermining the Waste Emissions Charge

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The US Senate has passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution in a 52-47 vote along party lines, introducing uncertainty into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) methane polluter fee—also known as the Waste Emissions Charge. While the resolution blocks the implementation of the fee, the legal requirement for the charge remains, leaving oil and gas operators in a state of confusion about compliance.

The methane fee is a critical piece of the Methane Emission Reduction Program (MERP), established under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and signed into law by former President Biden. This program is designed to curb methane pollution, improve air quality, and protect public health while holding major polluters accountable for excessive emissions.

Prior to the Senate vote, the House passed the resolution in a 220-206 vote, with support from several Democrats. The measure now heads to President Trump’s desk, jeopardizing years of work by New Mexico communities and environmental advocates who have long fought for strong safeguards against methane waste. The fee applies only to oil and gas companies exceeding industry-established emissions thresholds, encouraging them to fix leaks, adopt cleaner technology, minimize routine flaring, and improve monitoring. The EPA projected that full implementation of the Waste Emissions Charge would have eliminated over a million metric tons of methane by 2035, significantly reducing waste while fostering job growth in the clean energy sector.

Despite bipartisan support for the CRA resolution, New Mexico’s entire congressional delegation opposed the measure, standing firm against what many see as another concession to industry polluters. Environmental and faith-based organizations, including New Mexico and El Paso Interfaith Power & Light, expressed gratitude for their leadership in prioritizing environmental stewardship and public well-being.

“People of faith in New Mexico believe that caring for communities, and our sacred water, air, and land is an ethical and moral responsibility. For more than 10 years, people of faith and conscience in New Mexico have worked for strong methane safeguards. Thank you to the NM delegation for recognizing that the Waste Emissions Charge is important and would have helped companies be more responsible for the Common Good. We are all called to be good neighbors and to care for God’s creation and one another. This was one simple and effective way to make sure that business is responsible.”
– Sister Joan Brown, OSF, Community Advocate, New Mexico and El Paso Interfaith Power & Light

As the resolution awaits the president’s decision, New Mexico advocates remain committed to ensuring strong methane protections, reinforcing the need for responsible industry practices that prioritize people and the planet over short-term corporate interests.

A Visit to Capitol Hill on National IPL Lobby Day

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By Cynthia Gonzalez and Rev. Clara Sims

We had a busy day on Wednesday, May 8, meeting with four congressional offices. We met with the staff from the offices of Senator Ben Ray Lujan, Senator Martin Heinrich, Representatives Gabe Vasquez and Theresa Ledger Fernandez. Due to conflicts with scheduling, we were not able to meet with the office of Representative Melanie Stansbury, however, were able to stop by and drop off a package with information and in the age of zoom, we look forward to a virtual meeting soon.

The staff at each of the offices were very welcoming. We had positive exchanges with each of the staffers, who listened and acknowledged our concerns. Since they are champions on the issues of climate and environmental justice, we asked for their support on specific bills and initiatives and shared with them about our ongoing work with communities of faith and conscience.

Urging Congress to preserve important EPA standards

A main focus in each meeting was our immediate concern with deployment of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Congressional Review Acts seek to roll back President Biden’s administrative rules on EPA standards for things such as methane emissions, other air pollutants, and much more. As a recent “State of the Air Report” highlighted, counties across NM and the El Paso region are suffering from worsening air conditions – frontline communities in the Permian and Four Corners region as well as large urban centers like Bernalillo County.

In our meetings, we delivered postcards from community members highlighting the need to protect the EPA. We need an EPA with strong standards so they can not only enforce present rules but also declare where air pollution standards are already being violated across our state and region. We are grateful that all offices shared our concern with protecting these vital administrative rules to protect the immediate and long-term health of our sacred communities.

Supporting US participation in International Climate Finance effort

With a longer time-frame in mind, we also asked our legislators to support the United States participation in International Climate Finance (ICF). As Pope Francis expressed so poignantly in his encyclical letter Laudato Si, our country bears a “disproportionate responsibility” to lead internationally and help communities globally whose lives are already changing drastically due to climate change.

Presently the U.S. is behind on the relatively small financial commitments already made. Not only do these commitments need to be greater in proportion to our financial capacity to provide aid to other countries, we also need to do right by the promises already made.

In each meeting, we shared stories and experiences from communities of faith and conscience across New Mexico and the El Paso region, naming especially our increasing concern for the ways extractivism and New Mexico’s legacy as a “sacrifice zone” for industry interests continues to harm us all. We are grateful that each office shared these concerns and acknowledged the need to learn from and work closely with frontline communities and Tribal Nations especially as we seek healing and justice for our climate and common home.

We appreciate the opportunities we had to meet with the congressional offices and look forward to collaborating in the future on the many ways we are called to be leaders guided by moral integrity and love in action for this sacred creation into which we are woven.

(Cynthia Gonzalez is an IPL New Mexico-El Paso board member from El Paso Texas. Rev. Clara Sims is assistant executive director).