Affordability and equity means centering people and the planet

Today in Columbia representatives from more than 50 nations, dozens of subnational governments and 2800 representatives from civil societies, a "coalition of the willing," continue their five day global conference to reinvigorate international efforts to reduce climate warming emissions outside of the Paris Accords COP process, which has largely been hijacked by fossil fuel interests and petrostates like the United States and Saudi Arabia.

The group has formed a panel of scientific experts to advise countries on how they can rapidly reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, an impetus that has been accelerated by the administration's ill conceived and destructive war in Iran.

As a result of that war, the NY Times reports, between February and March "China’s solar, battery and E.V. exports grew 39 percent. The country’s solar exports alone more than doubled during that time. In South Korea, March saw new E.V. registrations double compared with the same time last year. In New Zealand, new registrations nearly doubled over two weeks," and new clean energy investments and initiatives have been declared by France, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Turkey and the EU.

Also as a result of that war the people least equipped to face increased energy costs around the world are facing economic ruin and starvation as fuel and fertilizer costs skyrocket. This is what centering greed and capitalism over people and earth looks like - climate and economic chaos as world leaders prioritize power and profit and fail to properly plan for a just and equitable transition. 

Here in New Mexico the Governor, too, is putting corporate greed and industry interests above all other considerations. She has appointed members to a new Energy Affordability and Grid Reliability Council populated by the following:

• Erin Taylor, acting secretary, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

• Rob Black, secretary, Economic Development Department

• Cholla Khoury, chief of staff, Public Regulation Commission

• Lynn Mostoller, executive director, Renewable Energy Transmission Authority

• Sunalei Stewart, deputy commissioner for operations, State Land Office

• Don Tarry, president and CEO, TXNM Energy (PNM)

• Kelly A. Tomblin, president and CEO, El Paso Electric

• Zoe Lees, regional vice president, regulatory policy, Xcel Energy

• Vince Martinez, CEO, New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association

• Javier Bucobo, vice president of markets and regulatory affairs, Avangrid (grid infrastructure expert)

• Joseph Yar, attorney, Velarde & Yar (consumer/ratepayer advocate)

• Sandra Begay Keeto, retired, Sandia National Laboratories; member, Navajo Nation (tribal energy expert)

• Rep. Meredith Dixon, New Mexico House of Representatives, District 20 (energy policy expert)

  
  

Notice something? The Energy Affordability task force includes exactly one ratepayer advocate. One person vastly outnumbered by "economic development" zealots, utility executives and one Nuclear Bro, aka, Rep. Meredith Dixon, who most recently attempted to pass a bill classifying nuclear as renewable and was featured at a conference calling for the resurgence of nuclear energy in New Mexico to power data centers for AI.

We are fairly certain the task force will not emerge with a roadmap to lower energy costs or expanded energy democracy and environmental justice for New Mexicans.

Contrast that with the clear voices calling for New Mexico to put people and planet first. Sixteen Democratic legislators submitted a letter to the Public Regulation Commission asking them to reject the Blackstone acquisition. Eight-five (85)% of Democratic Party delegates voted for a resolution calling for an alternative to the private equity acquisition - state investment in PNM to gain a controlling interest in our largest utility through the State Investment Council. A packed room in Tierra Amarilla where Rio Arriba County Commissioners and the public passed a resolution in united opposition to planned exploration for uranium mining in the Rio Chama headwaters.

On Thursday the Public Regulation Commission will hold a hearing to determine if Blackstone and PNM broke the law with their $400 million merger-related stock transaction (they did) and if so, what the consequences of such a transaction should be. We cannot let economic development zealots and utility executives speak for us.

The hearing will begin at 9 AM on Thursday, April 30th and can be viewed on youtube only. Here is the link to watch. There is no public comment scheduled.

Now is the time to raise your voice loudly. Write Letters to the Editor, write Op-eds, send written public comment (click on the circle with plus symbol in bottom right corner and follow prompts. The case number is 25-00060-UT) and show up at open-meetings to tell the PRC that the people demand Blackstone and PNM are held accountable to the law and we do not want a private equity takeover of our energy.