The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) intends to issue a Class 3 hazardous waste permit modification to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the owner and operator of White Sands Test Facility (WSTF). This permit modification will accomplish two actions: 1) document sites where corrective action is complete, and 2) to revise the permit to include language that supports the hazardous waste definition amendment for aqueous film-forming foam containing intentionally added per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS].
The NASA WSTF is a test facility established in 1962 in support of the National Space Program. WSTF occupies over 60,000 acres in Doña Ana County in south-central New Mexico, 18 miles northeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico and 65 miles north of El Paso, Texas.
The 60-day public comment period began on February 21, 2026 and ends on April 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The public notices (in English and Spanish), the Fact Sheet, and Draft Permit may be found here: https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/nasa/
You can now submit your comments online using the Public Comment Portal located at
https://nmed.commentinput.com/?id=N6gKkZQBH
Requests for public hearing shall be in writing and shall set forth the reasons why a hearing should be held. A hearing will be held if NMED determines that there is substantial public interest. After the administrative record for a permitting action is complete and all required information is available, NMED will approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the Permit based on the administrative record.
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