In light of Tracy Dingman’s story in today’s Santa Fe Reporter about shakeups at the New Mexico Environment Department, it seems timely to point out another issue involving Deputy Cabinet Secretary Raj Solomon.

Earlier this year, while writing for the Santa Fe Reporter about attacks on the state’s environmental laws — from within the New Mexico Environment Department — I spoke with Solomon, asking him to confirm that he had canceled the state’s participation in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Pollution Prevention Program.

(EPA designed the Pollution Prevention (P2) program to help businesses and communities reduce their waste before their emissions or waste streams become a problem requiring fines or intervention from environmental regulators. Each state’s program is funded in part by the federal government, according to David Bond, the EPA’s P2 coordinator for Region 6, which includes New Mexico.)

Solomon is quoted within the SFR story:

According to several sources both within and familiar with the department, in January, the Environment Department’s deputy secretary reassigned P2 employees, and informed staff that the state’s participation in the program would be canceled. When contacted by SFR, Deputy Secretary Raj Solomon denied the service has been cut, and says, rather, “We’re trying to do more with less.”

The program hasn’t been canceled, he says. “It’s still there; we’re just kind of taking it in a different direction—trying to roll small business assistance and community outreach,” Solomon says. “We’ll continue to do kind of what we’re doing: give Green Zia awards and those kinds of things.”

Although Bond confirmed that the state had not applied for grants in 2011, without documents in hand at press time, Solomon’s words had to be taken at face value.

As it turns out, however, two letters obtained through an Inspection of Public Records Act request (that the department complied with after the SFR story went to press) show that Solomon had, in fact, reassigned staff and also requested that the EPA de-obligate funds awarded to NMED.

But don’t believe me. Go ahead. Read the documents for yourself.