Healthy Climate New Mexico urges worker-heat protections as state heats up; revised NMED rule not yet posted

Nathaniel Matthews Trigg, Shelley Manlev and Charles Goodmacher of Healthy Climate New Mexico told the Legislative Health & Human Services interim committee that rising temperatures and more frequent extreme-heat days are already harming New Mexicans and that state policy changes are needed to protect workers and vulnerable communities.

Trigg, a climate-and-health technical expert, opened the presentation by warning that New Mexico has already warmed more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit and that continued greenhouse-gas emissions could push average conditions much higher by midcentury. "Year after year, heat kills more people in the United States than any other form of extreme weather event," Trigg said, and cited city-level increases in days above a 90—F heat index: Rio Rancho about 39 additional days, Albuquerque about 36, and Las Cruces about 31 on average.

Healthy Climate New Mexico emphasized three policy priorities: a worker-heat protection rule tailored to state conditions, sustained funding for environmental health tracking, and local resilience investments such as cooling centers and backup power for tribal facilities. "Simple things — rest breaks when it's really hot, access to cool water, shade, training and written plans — will save lives," said Shelley Manlev, the group's executive director, describing the protections envisioned under a New Mexico rule and noting that the state operates under its own OSHA plan.

Policy and funding gaps were flagged. Charles Goodmacher, the group's policy advisor, told legislators that the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has revised its worker-heat rule in response to public comment but that "those revised rules have not been released to the public, or posted on the website," and that the public hearing has been postponed until after the next legislative session. He also warned that the Department of Health's environmental health tracking program — which funds surveillance of heat-related emergency-department visits — relies on CDC grants that are scheduled to run out in 2027 unless the state provides sustainable funding.

Panelists described practical pilot efforts already underway: tribal tabletop exercises held April 15, 2025, convening participants from 15 tribal communities; heat-summit presentations available on the group's YouTube channel; and short training videos for first responders and outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Trigg and Manlev urged the committee to consider funding mechanisms such as the previously proposed HB108 (public-health and climate bill) or a community benefits/extreme-weather resilience fund that could support cooling centers, transportation for vulnerable residents, heat kits, and equipment grants for local facilities.

Committee members pressed presenters for specifics on interagency collaboration, cooling-system types suitable for schools and residences (heat pumps/split units, geothermal options), the coverage of heat-related injuries under workers' compensation and practical programs to deliver cooling to high-risk individuals. Manlev said Healthy Climate New Mexico has coordinated monthly with Department of Health leadership to expand the nurse helpline capacity and develop linguistically and culturally appropriate warnings; she also described pilots in Las Cruces offering heat-pump installations to low-income households.

The presenters asked lawmakers to ensure stable state funding for environmental tracking and to support implementation resources for any new workplace rule, including additional staffing for enforcement and technical assistance.

The committee did not take formal action; members expressed interest in continued collaboration and requested follow-up on the status of the NMED rule and potential funding options.