‘New Mexico is not New Jersey:’ EPA’s new ozone rule gets another opponent

New Mexico is one of the most topographically diverse states in the country — from arid Chihuahuan Desert regions to sections in the cool Sangre de Christo Mountains climbing 13,000 feet and forming the southern subrange of the Rockies. It’s a big reason the New Mexico Environment Department under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez announced Friday it’s joining four states in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, complaining the federal government’s new ozone rule is unfair. “Our state has background ozone conditions which are not effectively and equally addressed by the EPA’s new and autocratic ozone standards,” NMED secretary Ryan Flynn said in a statement, adding “New Mexico is not New Jersey.” New Mexico complains the stricter rule penalizes the Land of Enchantment more than other states and puts New Mexico at greater risk to face potential EPA fines...more