The UIC program for Class II wells in the State of New Mexico, except for those on Indian lands, is the program administered by the New Mexico Energy and Minerals Department, Oil Conservation Division, approved by EPA pursuant to section 1425 of the SDWA. Notice of this approval was published in the Federal Register on February 5, 1982 (47 FR 5412); the effective date of this program is March 7, 1982. This program consists of the following elements as submitted to EPA in the State's program application:

(a) Incorporation by reference. The requirements set forth in the State statutes and regulations cited in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of the applicable UIC program under the SDWA for the State of New Mexico. This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director of the Federal Register on June 25, 1984.

(1) Oil and Gas Act, New Mexico Statutes Annotated sections 70-2-1 through -36 (1978);

(2) State of New Mexico Energy and Mineral Department, Oil Conservation Division—Rules and Regulations (dated 10-1-78), sections B-3, I-701 through I-708, M-1100 through M-1121.

(b)(1) The Memorandum of Agreement between EPA Region VI and the New Mexico Energy and Minerals Department, Oil Conservation Division, signed by the EPA Regional Administrator on December 10, 1981;

(2) Addendum No. 1 to the Memorandum of Agreement, signed by the EPA Regional Administrator on June 28, 1982;

(3) Addendum No. 2 to the Memorandum of Agreement, signed by the EPA Regional Administrator on November 18, 1982;

(4) Letter from Director, Oil Conservation Division, New Mexico Energy and Minerals Department, and Assistant Attorney General of New Mexico, to Regional Administrator, EPA Region VI, November 6, 1981.

(c) Statement of legal authority. “Statement of Legal Authority of the State of New Mexico by and through its Oil Conservation Division of the Energy and Mines Department to conduct an Underground Injection Control Program,” signed by Assistant Attorney General and General Counsel to the Oil Conservation Division.

(d) The Program Description and any other materials submitted as part of the application or as supplements thereto.

[49 FR 20197, May 11, 1984, as amended at 53 FR 43089, Oct. 25, 1988]

The UIC Program for Class I, III, IV, and V wells in the State of New Mexico, except for those located on Indian country as defined under 40 CFR 144.3, is the program administered by the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission, the New Mexico Environment Department (formerly the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Division), and the Oil Conservation Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and approved by EPA pursuant to section 1422 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The effective date of this program is August 10, 1983. A subsequent program revision application for Class I hazardous waste injection wells, which are only authorized for use by petroleum refineries for the waste generated by the refinery (“generator”), except in Indian country, was approved by EPA pursuant to section 1422 of the SDWA. The effective date of this program is January 3, 2022. The State-administered UIC programs for Classes I, III, IV, and V consist of the following elements, as submitted to EPA in the State's program applications.

(a) Incorporation by reference. The New Mexico State provisions cited in “EPA-Approved New Mexico SDWA § 1422 Underground Injection Control Program Statutes and Regulations for Well Classes I, III, IV, and V,” dated March 11, 2021, and listed in Table 1 to this paragraph (a), are incorporated by reference and made a part of the applicable UIC program under SDWA for the State of New Mexico. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of the State of New Mexico's provisions that are incorporated by reference may be inspected at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004, or the Region VI, Library, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1201 Elm Street, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75270. If you wish to obtain materials from the EPA Headquarters Library, please call the Water Docket at (202) 566-2426 or from the EPA Regional Office, please call (214) 665-8326. You may also inspect the materials at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, email [email protected] or go to www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

(b) Other laws. The following statutes and regulations, although not incorporated by reference, are also part of the approved State-administered UIC program:

(1) Water Quality Act, New Mexico Statutes Annotated Sections 74-6-1 through 74-6-13 (1978 and Supp. 1982);

(2) Geothermal Resources Development Act, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, Chapter 71, Article 9 (July 1, 2016);

(3) Surface Mining Act, New Mexico Statutes Annotated Sections 69-25A-1 through 69-25A-35 (1978 and Supp. 1980).

(c) Memorandum of Agreement.

(1) The Memorandum of Agreement between EPA Region VI and the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission, the Environmental Improvement Division, and the Oil Conservation Division, signed by the EPA Regional Administrator on April 13, 1983;

(2) Letter from the Director, Environmental Improvement Division and the Director, Oil Conservation Division, to Regional Administrator, EPA Region IV, “Re: New Mexico Underground Injection Control Program—Clarification,” February 10, 1983.

(3) Amendment No. 1, Underground Injection Program Substitute Memorandum of Agreement Between the State of New Mexico and United States Environmental Protection Agency Region VI, signed by the EPA Regional Administrator on May 2, 2019.

(d) Statement of legal authority.

(1) Attorney General's Statement, signed by the Assistant Attorney General for the Environmental Improvement Division, the Assistant Attorney General for Oil Conservation Division, and the Deputy Attorney General, Civil Division, Counsel for the Mining and Minerals Division, undated, submitted December 8, 1982.

(2) Attorney General's Statement for Program Revision of New Mexico UIC Program, signed by Bill Brancard, Special Assistant Attorney General, State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, submitted December 12, 2018.

(e) Program Description and any other materials. The Program Description and any other materials submitted as part of the application or as supplements thereto.

[87 FR 50, Jan. 3, 2022]

(a) Contents. The UIC program for all classes of wells on Indian lands in New Mexico, except for Class II wells on Navajo Indian lands for which EPA has granted the Navajo Nation primacy for the SDWA Class II UIC program (as defined in § 147.3400), is administered by EPA. The program consists of the requirements set forth at Subpart HHH of this part. Injection well owners and operators and EPA shall comply with these requirements.

(b) Effective date. The effective date for the UIC program on Indian lands in New Mexico, except for Class II wells on Navajo Indian lands for which EPA has granted the Navajo Nation primacy for the SDWA Class II UIC program (as defined in § 147.3400), is November 25, 1988.

[53 FR 43089, Oct. 25, 1988, as amended at 73 FR 65565, Nov. 4, 2008]