CURRENT PRESS RELEASE
Community Request for NM DOJ & State Auditor Investigation of CRRUA
August 2, 2024
Via email to:
Raul Torrez, Attorney General
New Mexico Department of Justice
201 3rd Street NW, Suite 900
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
rtorrez@nmag.gov
Joseph M. Maestas, State Auditor
Office of the State Auditor
2540 Camino Edward Ortiz, Suite A
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
joseph.maestas@osa.nm.gov
Re: Community Request to Investigate the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority Pursuant to Environmental Protection, Financial and Consumer Protection Laws, and the New Mexico Open Meetings Act
Dear Attorney General Torrez and State Auditor Maestas,
The New Mexico Environmental Law Center (“NMELC”), on behalf of Santa Teresa and Sunland Park Community Members (hereinafter, “Community”), hereby submits the following request for the New Mexico Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor (“State Auditor”) to investigate the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (“CRRUA”) for any and all violations of environmental protection laws because CRRUA continues to provide public water that does not comply with federal health standards; consistently fails to meet these laws’ public notice requirements for contaminations and violations; and continues to ignore the New Mexico Environment Department’s (“NMED”) attempts at enforcement.
Community further requests DOJ and the State Auditor investigate CRRUA for any and all violations of consumer protection laws and waste, fraud, or abuse of state and federal funds, as initially raised by NMED’s request for an investigation by DOJ and the State Auditor on March 14, 2024,1 because CRRUA continues to shift the financial burden of providing consistently safe and clean public water to consumers – despite the availability of adequate government funds to address the ongoing water quality issues, which CRRUA has already received some funding for but has failed to use properly.2 Community further requests DOJ and the State Auditor investigate CRRUA for any and all violations and abuses of the New Mexico Open Meetings Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 10-15-1 to 10-15-4, because of CRRUA’s ongoing pattern and practice of canceling and rescheduling public meetings, without reasonable public notice, to seemingly limit public attendance and participation. …
Read full Request
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