NM Advocacy Watch

The foundation for serious Advocacy efforts is accurate & reliable INFORMATION.

Being well-informed takes commitment & work.  Energy-related issues are complex, often highly political and/or ideological, and almost always closely tied to state & national economic interests and global environmental issues.

In New Mexico, the Public Regulatory Commission (PRC) regulates all public utilities & electric co-operatives.  “Hot” energy issues & initiatives in NM often center on PRC interpretations & decisions with respect to NM State statutes.  The State Legislature writes the statutes – the PRC interprets & implements them.

It’s important to keep in mind that “official” documents & testimony submitted to the PRC by Utilities and/or other lobbying organizations are designed to influence PRC decisions in favor of a particular position or legal outcome that is advantageous to that particular utility or organization.  PRC submittals & testimony should not be assumed to be “fair & balanced” & objective.  Each party is arguing its case, as best it can, to favor its own objectives.  The arguments are sometimes intentionally confusing, misleading & even inaccurate.

The current “hot energy-related topics” listed below include links to “official” PRC documents and/or related editorials & articles & presentations.

The 2014 PNM IRP (20 yr Integrated Resource Plan Update)

• The PRC requires PNM to go thru this “Planning” exercise every 3 years.

• The result isn’t new rules or regs, just PNM’s take on what the future holds.

• It can be fascinating reading because it occasionally reveals what PNM executives really think about all this RE & energy efficiency stuff that they’re being “forced” to comply with.

• For background information, here’s a SunPaper article about the 2011 PNM IRP

  • “The End of Pretend”  (PDF)

• If you’re short on not-so-light reading material, here’s the link to the 2014 PNM IRP document – all 203 pages of it :    https://www.pnm.com/documents/396023/396193/PNM+2014+IRP/bdccdd52-b0bc-480b-b1d6-cf76c408fdfc

•  Here’s a SunPaper article about the 2014 PNM IRP

  • “PNM and NM’s Energy Future” (PDF)

The San Juan Generating Station/EPA Settlement

• Better than all coal-fired, but – – –

• PNM’s Proposal was submitted to the PRC on Feb 5, 2014.

  • PRC San Juan Part 1   (PDF)

  • PRC San Juan Part 2  (PDF)

• A serious effort was made to “negotiate” an agreement among the litigants.

• Six organizations “signed off” on the agreement in late 2014 but as additional information and major cost concerns emerged, three of those organizations withdrew their support in January 2015.

• New Energy Economy led the opposition to the PNM Proposal

• Formal PRC Hearings were concluded in late January 2015

The 2014 PNM Rate Case

• PNM always requests a big rate increase.  The PRC always gives them less than they ask for.

• The PV Interconnect Rate Rider Zombie Returns!  This could kill residential PV in NM.

• The formal rate case proposal was submitted to the NMPRC in Mid-December 2014.

• Here’s a link to the rate case proposal documents

  • 2014 PNM Rate Case proposal

•  Here is a (growing) list of articles related to the 2014 PNM Rate Case

  • “PNM’s War on New Mexicans”  (PDF)  – an overview of the proposal

  • “PNM & Mis-Leadership”  (PDF)  – summarizing PNM’s misleading PR statements

• These are PowerPoint Presentations about the 2014 PNM Rate Case

  • PPT by Taiyoko (Randy) Sadewik

The Pushback Against Energy Efficiency & RE in NM & Across the Country

• The Martinez Admin-appointed NM Construction Industries Commission rolled back building energy efficiency standards adopted by the previous Commission.

• The Martinez Admin-appointed NM State Environmental Improvement Board rolled back the modest requirement to reduce CO2 emissions passed by the previous Board.

• The NM PRC attempted to cut NM Renewable Portfolio Standards for PV in half in late 2013.

• ​Here is a link to a SunPaper article about the Utility Lobby’s efforts to reverse RE mandates

  • “Disruptive Challenges”  (PDF)

Electric Utility Decoupling

• Electric utilities have a business model based on generating & selling electricity – the more the better

• Electricity rate charges often cover both “variable costs” which depend on how much electricity is used, and “fixed costs” which don’t depend on how much electricity is used.

• Energy efficiency initiatives reduce the demand for their “product”, and cut their income & profits

• Decoupling proposals try to reduce utilities’ dependency on selling electricity to cover fixed costs.

• If you want even more info about Decoupling, click HERE