NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department is highlighting the ongoing success of its Enforcement Watch initiative, a transparency-focused program that provides the public with consistent and timely information about the Department’s enforcement actions across environmental protection, public health, and worker safety programs.

By making enforcement data accessible, Enforcement Watch reinforces NMED’s commitment to New Mexico residents for accountability and regulatory compliance statewide.

Launched in May 2023, Enforcement Watch shares monthly updates on enforcement actions and their resolutions.

These updates are broadly divided into two categories:

• Active Matters: Alleged violations of state regulations, rules, permits, or licenses that are currently under investigation or pending resolution.
• Resolved Matters: Cases that have been adjudicated in court or administratively resolved, including the full payment of any civil penalties.

June Program Spotlight: Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau 

This month, the department highlights its Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau, whose staff ensure compliance with state petroleum storage tank regulations. The Bureau’s work applies to a wide range of commercial and public sites that store petroleum products — including places New Mexicans interact with every day like gas stations, airports, farms, and military bases.

The Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau prevents leaks and manages cleanup efforts to protect New Mexico’s soil and groundwater resources, regulating more than4,200 active petroleum storage tanks statewide.

By ensuring compliance, the bureau’s staff make sure business owners, local governments, and everyday New Mexicans can fuel up their equipment while protecting our land and water from contamination due to leaking tanks.

In 2025, the Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau launched an aggressive enforcement initiative through its Prevention Inspection Program.

Between January 1 and June 30, inspectors completed466 inspections, leading to 62 violation notices, which require action to prevent tanks from leaking.Currently, all but 20 of those violation notices are resolved, correcting issues that put New Mexico’s water, soil, and public health in jeopardy.

Inspectors still need to inspect 789 of the Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau’s 1,704 regulated sites around New Mexico. At current staffing levels, the average number of sites per inspector is 131, which will require about three years to inspect the remaining sites.

“The Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau protects New Mexico’s land, water, and communities by assuring companies properly maintained petroleum storage tanks in compliance with safety standards. In 2025 alone, the Bureau acted on dozens of sites where violations threatened public health or the environment,” Bruce Baizel said, Compliance and Enforcement Division Director. “While important progress is being made, the work is far from over. With nearly 800 sites still awaiting inspection, we remain committed to holding facilities accountable to prevent contamination before it happens.”

The Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau continues to provide technical assistance and guidance to tank owners and operators to prevent violations before they occur. The Bureau also encourages the reporting of suspected releases or non-compliance to help protect public health and the environment.

For more information visit the Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau’s page here.

Enforcement Watch Updates for June 2025

In June, 243 new entries were added to the Active Matters listing and 92 were moved to the Resolved Matters listing. 

New additions to the report included:

• 207 notices of violation issued by the Drinking Water Bureau  
• 20 notices of violation issued by the Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau
• 8 notices of violation issued by the Occupational Health & Safety Bureau
• 3 notices of violation issued by the Food Safety Program to retail food establishments that failed to timely pay their permit fee, resulting in a $25 late fee
• 2 notices of violation in the Air Quality Bureau
• 1 notice of violation in the Hazardous Waste Bureau
• 1 notice of violation in the Solid Waste Bureau
• 1 notice of violation in the Radiation Control Bureau

 The following enforcement cases were resolved in June:   

• 84 cases in the Food Safety Program
• 3 cases in the Hazardous Waste Bureau
• 2 cases in the Drinking Water Bureau
• 2 cases inthe Public Pools/Spas Bureau
• 1 case in the Occupational Health & Safety Bureau

Highlights of alleged violations and resolved cases in June include:

• The Food Safety Program issued a Notice of Violation to 63 establishments throughout the state for operating without a valid food establishment permit.
• The Air Quality Bureau issued a Notice of Violation to Enterprise Delaware Basin Treating LLC of Houston for a violation of their permit under New Mexico Air Regulations at the White Horse compressor station southeast of Jal in Eddy County.  
• The Drinking Water Bureau issued twelve Notices of Violation to Cimarron water system for a range of violations of New Mexico public drinking water regulations.
• The Hazardous Waste Bureau issued a Notice of Violation to Swissport Fueling in Albuquerque for failing to conduct inspections and other violations of New Mexico hazardous waste regulations.
• The Occupational Health and Safety Bureau issued a Citation and penalties to Southwest Cheese Company of Clovis for exposing workers to chlorine gas in the workplace, in violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1910.
• The Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau issued a Notice of Deficiency and Intent to Red Tag to Saia Motor Freight Line of Albuquerque for failing to inspect in violation of New Mexico Petroleum Storage Tank regulations.
• The Radiation Control Bureau issued a Notice of Violation to ProTechnic of Albuquerque for failing to report incidents of exposure and failing to notify the victim of exposure in violation of New Mexico Radiation Protection Program requirements.
• The Solid Waste Bureau issued a Notice of Violation to Corralitos Regional Landfill of Las Cruces for failing to control litter in violation of New Mexico Solid Waste regulations.

Enforcement Watch provides the public, the business community, environmental nongovernment organizations, and municipal governments with easy access to see which organizations NMED has alleged are in violation of regulations, permits, and/or licenses administered by the Department.

It is updated when violations are alleged or resolved. Retrospective enforcement matters are added as staffing resources allow. Organizations remain on Enforcement Watch until the alleged violations are corrected to the satisfaction of the Department.

The easiest way for an organization to avoid appearing on the Enforcement Watch is to stay off it in the first place by remaining in full compliance with applicable regulations. NMED encourages organizations that are unclear of their regulatory responsibilities to contact a consultant and conduct a third-party compliance audit and disclose potential violations.   

NMED provides detailed compliance and enforcement metrics in the Compliance Measures section of the Quarterly Performance Report.

The full Enforcement Watch can be viewed at https://www.env.nm.gov/enforcement-watch.