Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. Before the department makes a final
decision regarding a permit application, the department shall hold a PIH if the
director determines that there is significant public interest and a significant
air quality issue is involved. A PIH is not an adjudicatory hearing on the
merits. The PIH shall be held no fewer than 30 days before the deadline for the
department to make a final decision regarding the permit application. The
hearing officer shall determine whether to require attendees to be sworn before
they can ask questions, provide comments or provide information. During the
PIH, attendees can ask questions, provide comments and provide information
regarding the requested air quality permitting action, but no final decision
shall be made by the department at the close of the hearing.
B. The department shall make all arrangements
and pay all expenses of the hearing including:
(1) arranging for a location for the PIH,
which shall be held near the proposed source if reasonably feasible;
(2) providing an English-Spanish and
Spanish-English translator at the PIH if determined to be necessary by the
department;
(3) providing a hearing
officer; the hearing officer shall preside over the PIH; shall give all
attendees present at the hearing a reasonable opportunity to ask questions,
provide comments and provide information regarding the requested air quality
permitting action and to examine attendees commenting at the hearing; but shall
not make a recommendation or a final decision regarding the permit
application;
(4) requesting that
the applicant present its proposal and to answer questions from attendees at
the PIH;
(5) no fewer than 30 days
before the PIH, providing a copy of the public notice by certified mail or
electronic mail to the applicant, the designated representative(s) of the
recognized neighborhood associations and recognized neighborhood coalitions
that are within one-half mile of the exterior boundaries of the property on
which the source is or is proposed to be located; contact information, if
available, shall be obtained from the most current records of the city of
Albuquerque office of neighborhood coordination and the county of Bernalillo
zoning, building and planning department; the notice shall contain the
information required by Paragraphs (1) and (3)-(5) of Subsection C of
20.11.41.13
NMAC, and the name of the contact person, the department and the address to
which comments and inquiries may be directed; the notice of the PIH shall be in
English and Spanish if the department determines notice in Spanish is
necessary; if a PIH notice is returned to the department undelivered, the
department shall promptly confirm the address through the appropriate local
government entity, and, if an address is available, shall provide a second copy
of applicant's PIH notice to the president or vice president of the
neighborhood association or neighborhood coalition;
(6) publishing public notice of the PIH in
the newspaper with the largest general circulation in Bernalillo county no
fewer than 30 days before the PIH; the notice shall include the date, time, and
location of the PIH, the number of the proposed permit, and a statement that a
final decision has not been made by the department regarding the proposed
permit;
(7) mailing notice of the
PIH to all interested persons who have submitted written comments or evidence
to the department and to all interested persons who have delivered to the
department a written request for notice regarding the application; a request to
inspect or copy shall not be considered a written comment for the purposes of
Paragraph (7) of Subsection B of 20.11.41.15 NMAC;
(8) requiring department staff to attend the
PIH; be present during the applicant's requested presentation and the comments
and questions by the attendees; and answer questions regarding the application
and the permitting process; and
(9)
recording the PIH and including the recording in the administrative record for
the permit application; the department shall provide a duplicate of the
recording to any person who requests a copy; the person requesting shall
reimburse the department for the cost of the copy before the department makes
the copy; the person making the request for a copy may instead provide the
department with recording media that meets the department specifications, and
the department will not impose a charge for copying; if a person requests a
transcript of the hearing (the requestor), the department shall obtain an
estimate of the cost of the transcription and inform the requestor; the
requestor shall pay the estimated cost before the department orders the
transcription; if the actual cost of the transcription is more than the
estimate, the requestor shall pay the additional amount before the department
provides the transcription; if the actual cost of the transcription is less
than the estimate, the department shall reimburse the difference.