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Regional Haze is defined as visibility impairment that is caused by the emission of air pollutants from numerous sources located over a wide geographic area. Because of the harm that haze does to visibility in National Parks and wilderness areas, many efforts to control and reduce man-made haze, and the air pollutants that cause it, are under way - through national laws and regional collaboration.
The City of Albuquerque Air Quality Division participates as a member of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) . WRAP is an organization of states tribes, federal agencies and other interested parties that identify regional haze, and visibility issues as well as develops strategies to address them. WRAP states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
20.11.46 NMAC implements the western backstop SO2 trading program (“WEB trading program”) provisions required under the federal Regional Haze Regulation, 40 CFR 51.309, the Albuquerque-Bernalillo county element of the state of New Mexico’s regional haze implementation plan and related requirements associated with the time period prior to the WEB trading program trigger date.
As required by the Federal Clean Air Act, states must submit a plan to the Environmental Protection Agency to outline how the state and the regulated community will address a particular air quality issue.
In November 2003, the City Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board, along with the State of New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board , elected to meet federal regional haze visibility requirements by submitting an implementation plan that complies with the requirements of 40 CFR 51.309 Regional Haze Regulations; Final Rule (576KB)
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Questions on the State Implementation Plan can be directed to Mr. Neal Butt at (505)768-2660 or Nbutt@cabq.gov.
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