Environmental Crimes Unit
To help protect New Mexico families we are beefing up the public education and outreach
efforts of the Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) within our
Water, Environment & Utilities Division. This unit is dedicated to enforcing
environmental laws and ensuring that those who violate them are held accountable.
We are providing several ways for the public to help report violations to the ECU.
These tips are important and could prove valuable to the ECU as it investigates
and helps prosecute violations of New Mexico's environmental protection statutes.
New Mexico is a large state and just learning about potential environmental law
violations can be a difficult task. That is where you come in...with the help of
the general public, the ECU can cover a lot of ground throughout the state. The
Environmental Crimes Unit has established ways for you to report suspected environmental
crimes:
What Are Environmental Crimes?
Air Pollution
Burning of commercial or industrial waste; release of hazardous substances into
the air; illegal removal of asbestos from buildings.
Hazardous Waste
Improper storage, disposal, or transfer of hazardous waste. Hazardous
waste can generally be described as any material that threatens public safety and
the environment. It includes degreasers, acids, metals, paint waste, solvents, cyanides
and pesticides.
Water Pollution
Discharge of waste into streams, rivers, lakes, including farm
drainage and waste generated by construction sites and factories.
Solid Waste
Improper dumping of large quantities of garbage or refuse
What to Look For:
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Containers or drums that appear to be abandoned (for example you find them in a
forest, along a roadside or otherwise in a place where it appears they do not belong),
especially if they are corroded or leaking.
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Dead fish in streams or waterways, particularly if the water appears to contain
foreign substances (such as detergent, bleach, chemicals or has a strange color).
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Dead animals alongside a river bank or in a field.
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Discolored and/or stressed, dying plant life.
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Visible sheens on the ground or in the water.
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Foul smelling or oddly colored discharges onto the ground or into a stream or waterway.
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Foul smelling or strange looking emissions into the air.
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Pipes or valves that would allow for discharge from a plant that appear hidden.
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A truck dumping materials into a manhole or sewer drain.
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A person burying drums on business or residential property.
Examples of Environmental Crimes:
Water
A plant manager at a metal finishing company directs employees to bypass the facility’s
wastewater treatment unit in order to avoid having to purchase the chemicals that
are needed to run the wastewater treatment unit. In so doing, the company sends
untreated wastewater directly to the sewer system in violation of the permit issued
by the municipal sewer authority.
Hazardous Waste
In order to avoid the cost of paying for proper treatment of its hazardous waste,
the owner of a manufacturer of cleaning solvents places several dozen 5-gallon buckets
of highly-flammable and caustic waste into its dumpster for disposal at a local,
municipal landfill that is not authorized to receive hazardous waste.
Air Pollution
The owner of an apartment complex solicits bids to remove 14,000 square feet of
old ceiling tiles from the building. Three bidders inspect the building, determine
that the tiles contain dangerous asbestos fibers, and bid with the understanding
that, in doing the removal, they would be required to follow the work practice standards
that apply to asbestos removal. The fourth bidder proposes to save the owner money
by removing the tiles without following the work practice standards. The owner hires
the fourth bidder on this basis, and, so, the work is done without following the
work practice standards.
What to Do:
If you become aware of or suspect criminal environmental activity, you should:
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Contact the Environmental Crimes Unit at the New Mexico Attorney General’s
Office by telephone or e-mail as soon as possible.
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Please provide as much information as possible, including:
- WHAT potential criminal activity has occurred.
- WHERE such activity occurred.
- WHO--Information about the individual or company that is believed
to have taken the actions.
- WHEN--you discovered the activity and/or when it occurred.
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Please provide your contact information so that we may obtain more information.
NOTE: Whether a crime is prosecuted or not, we will keep your identity
confidential unless you authorize us to do otherwise.
STAY SAFE!
- If you are not sure that an area is safe, stay away.
- Do not enter confined spaces or low-lying areas.
- Do not lean over open waste containers, or kick, rock or puncture waste containers.
- If trained to enter, wear appropriate protective gear.
- Do not take samples unless trained.
- Keep others away from the scene until assistance arrives.
- Be sure to keep children and pets away.
- Do not track toxic material into your car.