NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney

NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) released the first-quarter update of its fiscal year 2023 (FY23) performance assessment report that offers the public, stakeholders, and legislators the opportunity to track the department’s progress in protecting public health and the environment.

The report also provides insights on budget and staffing challenges impacting performance.  

Accomplishments highlighted in the report include NMED’s role in this year’s wildfire response, including providing guidance to acequias and technical assistance to the City of Las Vegas water utility, leading fire and flood debris removal efforts, conducting post-fire water quality sampling, and offering free private well water testing to impacted communities.

The report also notes the launch of the Air Quality Bureau’s ePermitting Portal, the awarding of $7.3 million in Volkswagen Settlement funds, and favorable public health outcomes including 97 percent of New Mexicans breathing clean air and 89 percent of New Mexicans drinking clean water. Water infrastructure projects saw $10.9 million in investments in the first quarter of FY23, more than in any quarter of the previous fiscal year. 

In FY23, NMED received appropriations totaling $114.0 million to protect public health and the environment. This included $20.3 million in general funds, $57.4 million in special revenue funds (e.g., permit fees), $36.3 million in federal funds, and $1.9 million in special appropriations for earmarked projects/purposes.

The first quarter report, developed by NMED’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, covers the period from July 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2022.

The first quarter report is the initial installment in reporting on 46 performance measures over five broad categories for FY23 as follows:   

• 6 public health measures;  
• 9 environmental protection measures;  
• 24 compliance measures;  
• 4 economic investment measures; and  
• 3 operational measures.

The report also provides a retrospective look at the first quarter while providing insights for the rest of the fiscal year.

“The launch of the Climate Change and Cannabis and Hemp Bureaus is a big step forward for New Mexico,” NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said. “These Bureaus will support our nationally-leading efforts to grow a clean energy economy and foster a safe cannabis industry.” 

While the 46 performance measures largely stem from agreements between NMED and the Legislative Finance Committee for state fiscal year 2023, NMED uses these reports to provide other information to the public, stakeholders and legislature. 

Highlights from the first quarterly report of FY23 include: 

• 97 percent of New Mexicans breathed clean air;
• 89 percent of New Mexicans drank safe drinking water; 
• 31 new water infrastructure projects were initiated through NMED across the state disbursing almost $11 million dollars into communities with water infrastructure needs;
• NMED staff conducted 2,013 compliance inspections across the state;
• For inspections conducted during the first quarter of FY23, five programs found compliance exceeding the benchmark compliance of 85 percent while three regulatory program areas fell below the target:
  • Solid and infectious waste management facilities: 100 percent in compliance;
  • Surface water discharge permittees: 100 percent in compliance;
  • Liquid waste program (i.e., septic systems): 99.6 percent in compliance;
  • Groundwater discharge permittees: 96.3 percent in compliance;
  • Radiation licensing program (i.e., medical equipment): 94 percent in compliance;
  • Restaurants and food manufacturers: 69.7 percent in compliance;
  • Air emitting sources: 53.3 percent in compliance; and
  • Hazardous waste management facilities: 36.8 percent in compliance.

• NMED Drinking Water Bureau staff provided direct technical assistance to 28 community water systems to help them move from a status of non-compliance to compliance;
• The report includes a new “NMED Staff Workload Snapshot” and supporting data in Appendix A that provide insight into the workload challenges facing an under-resourced agency. For example, at current staffing levels it would take NMED air quality inspectors 6.5 years to visit all currently permitted air emitting sources across the state;  
• NMED’s vacancy rate during this period was approximately 21.7 percent;
• Exit interview data shows employees leave NMED for private/public sector opportunities with greater compensation; greater earning potential for less complex work at other state agencies; frustration over lack of compensation related to the volume, pace, and complexity of work; and retirements; and
• At the end of the previous fiscal year, NMED instituted a variety of retention incentives to retain employees and implemented a hiring pilot program, which was recognized in the Legislative Finance Committee’s Aug. 17 report on State Personnel Compensation and Classification Plan Human Resources Authority.

View the FY23 Q1 Performance Assessment here.