Environment Department sues El Paso Electric
The lawsuit was filed recently in state district court in Santa Fe, alleging multiple violations of New Mexico's Air Quality Control Act. The facility is located near the border between El Paso, Texas, and Sunland Park, N.M.
El Paso Electric spokeswoman Teresa Souza said the lawsuit is an old dispute about some ambiguous language in an air permit that has been clarified. She said the plant is in compliance with the air permit.
Environment Department spokeswoman Marissa Stone said that the department issued a compliance order to El Paso Electric for excess emissions violations about two years ago and those violations have not been resolved.
Stone added that the company's recent emissions also are in excess of its permit limits.
As part of the lawsuit, the Environment Department claims El Paso Electric violated more than 350 of the maximum emission rates for oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide and failed to report deviations from the maximum emission rates.
Related News

Germany should stop lecturing France on nuclear power, says Eon boss
BERLIN - Germany should stop trying to impose its views on nuclear power on the rest of the EU, the head of one of Europe’s largest utilities has warned, as he stressed its importance in the region’s clean energy transition.
Leonhard Birnbaum, chief executive of German energy provider Eon, said Berlin should accept differences of opinion as he signalled his desire for a compromise with France to break a deadlock over energy reforms.
Germany this year shut down its final three nuclear power plants as it followed through on a long-held promise to drop the use of the energy source, while France…