PRC Commissioner Joseph M. Maestas
PRC News:
SANTA FE — Members of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) issued the following statements Tuesday regarding last week’s closure of the San Juan Generating Station, a four-unit and coal-fired electric power plant in San Juan County that had been continuously operating since 1973.
Commissioner Joseph M. Maestas, District 3:
“Seeing the San Juan plant close is a monumental, landmark event in our state’s energy transition, but it is also a moment that brings mixed emotions. While our state’s environment and our people’s health will benefit from the transition away from coal, one cannot ignore the human cost of closing a facility that provided a livelihood for so many for so long. I really feel for the people in those affected communities and the employees of the plant, and that is why I have been so hawkish about making sure that the funds for transition assistance have been made available to help the community move forward. While the energy transition is vital to our state’s future, making sure that it is a just transition is just as crucial.”
Commissioner Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, District 4:
“Many people in the Four Corners region relied on the jobs that the San Juan Generating Station provided to make ends meet, so it’s understandable how this closure has caused so much stress in the local communities. Since the passage of the Energy Transition Act (ETA), Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) has had difficulty putting together a viable renewable energy replacement to make up for the loss of power created by the San Juan Generating Station’s closure, and I was disturbed that PNM did not come to the region and present a viable plan for this following the closure. Moving forward, the Commission will continue to regulate PNM to ensure that they comply with the ETA.”
About NMPRC
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) regulates the utilities, telecommunicati
