The New Mexico Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed the state’s rule designed to reduce emissions of ozone precursor pollutants from oil and gas operators in counties with high ozone levels.
The ruling pertains to the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico’s (IPANM) appeal challenging the Environmental Improvement Board’s adoption of the rule in 2022, which IPANM claimed was “unlawful.”
The rule requires oil and gas operators in eight counties—Chaves, Dona Ana, Eddy, Lea, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval, and Valencia—to conduct monthly leak inspections and comply with emission standards for nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds….