Court Backs New Mexico’s Ozone Pollution Rule

Oil group’s claims that ozone precursor rule was based on flawed and outdated data was rejected by the Court of Appeals.

Pump jacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M., April 24, 2015. Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

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.”