NMED General Counsel Zachary Ogaz

NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is enhancing transparency by making public records more accessible by improving its records requests portal.

NMED launched its online public records portal in December 2024, allowing requestors to submit requests electronically.

The department has implemented two major improvements to the portal designed to streamline the records request process and improve the overall user experience:

• NMED updated its public-facing page to help requestors more clearly define the records they are seeking. This change is intended to improve efficiency and ensure requestors receive the information they need; and
• NMED also added an archive to the portal that enables requestors to search through previous public records requests submitted to the system. This feature allows users to quickly determine if similar records have already been requested, enhancing the transparency and accessibility of the NMED’s information. 

“NMED is committed to making government more open and accessible to the public,” NMED General Counsel Zachary Ogaz said. “By streamlining our public records request process and adding new tools like the online archive, we are improving transparency and ensuring that New Mexicans can easily access the information they need.”

NMED encourages requestors to use the online public records portal; however, requests can still be submitted by mail or telephone. Additional information and instructions are available on NMED’s public records request page: https://www.env.nm.gov/public-record-request/. 

Those interested in submitting a public records request or searching previously submitted requests can access the online forms at: https://nmenv.justfoia.com/publicportal/.