FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Commissioner Steve Fischmann Lone Vote to Uphold the Energy Transition Act
Santa Fe, NM- This afternoon, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) dealt a devastating blow to New Mexico working families who need clean energy jobs by ruling that the Energy Transition Act will not apply to PNM’s case on the abandonment of the San Juan Generating Station.
Today’s PRC decision, led by Santa Fe Commissioner Valerie Espinoza, immediately halts access to $40 million for job training and development, severance pay, economic development and assistance to Indigenous people in the area, leaving the burden of this decision to rest on the backs of displaced workers and their families in the Four Corners region.
“We are on the verge of a clean energy revolution in New Mexico. It’s beyond disappointing to see the majority of Public Regulation Commissioners stand in the way of the progress we’ve already made to transition to more clean energy,” says Demis Foster, CVNM Executive Director. “We applaud Commissioner Steve Fischmann for standing up for displaced workers in the Four Corners region and representing his constituents’ values and support for a clean energy economy. The transition and worker training support funding established under the Energy Transition Act were hard won and we urge the majority of Public Regulation Commissioners who voted to withhold $40 million from displaced workers to reconsider their decision immediately.”
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CONTACT: Liliana Castillo at 505-819-7508 or liliana@cvnm.org
