[Lwvcnmtopics] NM PRC meeting today

[George Richmond]

Today the NM PRC met @ 100 PM to hear a presentation from El Paso 
Electric, a company owned by JP Morgan, which provides electric power in 
West Texas and Southern New Mexico.

Their messages:

The company is short of reserves, they deem 15% as adequate, but A) Hope 
to buy power on the open market during the hot months of July and August 
or B) will work with customers to encourage conservation, but may have 
to drop service if demand is too high.

More generation is coming on over the next two years which may solve the 
lack of adequate reserves.

In this regard, i asked the NM PRC about the level of reserves of PNM.

The other issue is that some of its customers, number not now known, 
have not been paying their bills.  EPE is not allowed to give notices of 
disconnection until August.  However, there are federal funds available 
to pay these delinquent charges, but so far contacting these customers 
has not been effective as customers seem to be ignoring taking action 
until disconnect notices go out in August.

In NM, EPE is working with colleges in Las Cruces and also the largest 
food bank in Las Cruces, who is likely to be providing food to these 
customers, to get them to sign up for free federal money.

An issue is that unless the Federal Money is used by September 30, the 
money will go back to the US Treasury.

I suggested that EPE contact LWV SNM to get them/other such 
organizations to help out.

I am sure the there are many clients of NM Gas and PNM who are behind in 
bills but do not know of the federal program to help them in bill payment.

Could this be a project for LWV CNM?


George Richmond


-- 
George M. Richmond
152 Juniper Hill Road, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87122-1913

C: 505-280-2105
E: geomrich1 at comcast.net


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