New Mexico Register / Volume XXXVI,
Issue 23 / December 9, 2025
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (“Commission”) gives notice of its initiation of a formal rulemaking to repeal and replace Title 18, Chapter 60, Part 4 entitled “Pipeline Safety Enforcement Procedures” and Part 5 entitled “Pipeline Safety Excavation Damage Prevention.” The Rules which may be adopted as the final rules by the Commission may include all, part, or none of the language in the proposed rules.
Summary and concise statement of proposed rules: The objectives of the proposed rules are to replace language that references the Transportation Division, as the Division is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Commission, to revise outdated and superseded practices to conform with practices and procedures currently utilized in the field, and to provide authority to the Commission to approve agreements and decisions that arise out of settlement conferences, mediation, and arbitration between Pipeline Safety Bureau staff and respondents.
Legal authority: 62-14-7.1, 62-14-9.1, 62-14-10, 62-19-21, 70-3-4, and 70-3-13 NMSA 1978.
How a copy of the full text of the proposed rule may be obtained: A copy of the full text of the proposed rule and instructions on how to access the complete rulemaking record, reports, and other items filed in the Commission’s e-docket system may be obtained from the Rulemaking Proceedings section of the Commission’s website at https://www.prc.nm.gov/rulemaking-proceedings/ under Docket No. 25-00039-PL or by calling LaurieAnn Santillanes in the Office of General Counsel at (505) 670-4830.
How a person may comment on the proposed rule, where comments will be received, and when comments are due: Written initial comments may be filed no later than January 9, 2026. Filed comments shall refer to Docket No. 25-00039-PL. Comments may be electronically filed by sending them in PDF format to prc.records@prc.nm.gov. All written comments will be posted on the Commission’s e-Docket website within three days of their receipt by the Commission’s Records Management Bureau.
The record of this case closes on January 23, 2026. From that date through the completion of this proceeding, rulemaking participants shall be forbidden from communicating with the Commission or its representatives concerning substantive issues in this proceeding.
When and where a public rule hearing will be held and how a person may participate in the hearing: A public hearing on the proposed rules and any proposed alternatives, to be presided over by the Commission or its designee, shall be held beginning at 1:30 pm on January 14, 2026, via the Zoom video-conferencing platform.
Any interested person who wishes
to make a comment at the hearing may contact Patrick Rodriguez via email at
public.comment@prc.nm.gov or by phone at (505) 490-7910
as soon as possible before the start of the hearing to sign
up as a commenter to sign up as a commenter. The Commission shall email a Zoom invitation to all commenters.
The Zoom invitation shall include a call-in number for those commenters who are unable to access Zoom’s video-conferencing platform. The public comment hearing shall be held to receive oral comments. All commenters may be limited in time to speak, subject to the discretion of the Commission or its designee. The Commission or its designee may also determine that a spokesperson should be designated to speak on behalf of an organization, a group, or a group of individuals that shares the same message or seeks the same goals, in order to maximize the efficiency of the public hearing. No testimony or other evidence shall be taken at the hearing as this is a rulemaking proceeding. The subject of public comments shall be relevant to matters within the Commission’s jurisdiction. A court reporter shall prepare a transcript of the hearing for filing in this docket.
Any
person with a disability requiring special assistance to participate in the
hearing should contact the Consumer
Relations Division of the Commission at (505) 827-8019 as soon as possible
prior to the commencement of the hearing.
Technical information that served as a basis for the proposed rule and how the information can be obtained: N/A.