Mountain View Telegraph - CNME Settlement To Get Second Vote

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Mountain View Telegraph - CNME Settlement To Get Second Vote

Approval of an order by the state Public Regulation Commission regarding Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative narrowly missed passing on Tuesday.

The order regarding the investigation by the commission into the cooperative's Advice Notice 54 and Rate 25 is on the commission's agenda for today.

The commission has investigated several matters, including whether CNME information was misleading or insufficient to customers, whether CNME advised customers that one rate would be replaced with another, which caused customers not to file a protest, and whether CNME violated rules by giving refunds only to certain customers, Robert Hirasuna, PRC general counsel, said in an earlier e-mail.

Commissioners Carol K. Sloan and Sandy Jones voted to approve the stipulated settlement between the cooperative and the commission on Tuesday. Chairman Jason Marks voted against.

Commissioner Ben Ray Luján phoned in to the meeting from Washington, D.C. Luján won the 3rd Congressional District race and is in the capital getting ready for his new post. Three yes votes were required to approve the matter. Luján hung up the phone before the vote was called. Sloan had also phoned in to the meeting.

"I wasn't comfortable with the way it resolved some of the issues," Marks said about his dissenting vote in a telephone interview.

Hirasuna read aloud from the settlement document to the commissioners and about 20 other people who were present. Some of the orders read aloud were:

That CNME give refunds of about $25,000 to commercial time-of-use customers who were on Rate 29 and moved to Rate 2.

That CNME establish a $20,000 fund to provide rebates to consumers of energy efficiency measures that would include replacing or tinting windows, duct work and replacement of old appliances.

That CNME spend an additional $60,000 on its current CFL (compact fluorescent light) giveaway energy efficiency program until it meets its goal of distributing 100,000 CFLs to members.

That CNME target Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program-qualified customers as recipients of CFLs.

"Bear in mind that commission (members have) changed their minds before. Everything is pending. It looks like it's going to pass, but you never know," said Paul Carbajal, PRC public information officer.

The matter is on the commission's agenda for today at 9:30 a.m. in the PERA Building in Santa Fe. For more information go to http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/.

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