Previously published at this link: http://www.abqjournal.com/607887/opinion/tall-tales-about-pnm-twist-facts.html

Published here with permission from PNM

Here is an op-ed from VP of External Affairs and Customer Service Jo Ann Newton that was published in the Albuquerque Journal on July 5. It sets the record straight regarding misinformation that has been pushed by some PNM opponents, specifically New Energy Economy. 

In a commentary published June 20, New Energy Economy states €œimportant issues are not well served when the facts get lost. € PNM agrees.

We deal in facts through transparent, public processes that include thorough examination of company actions.

PNM is accountable to customers, and to state and federal regulators. Those attempting to disrupt the regulatory process are accountable to no one and often speak without letting facts get in the way.

Along the way, passionate environmental advocates are hoodwinked into believing fiction about PNM €™s plan for the San Juan Generating Station. This is the worst kind of deception.

The plan was developed through a collaborative process that included PNM, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the N.M. Environment Department as a cost-effective, balanced approach to comply with federal haze regulations. The plan has received strong support from legislators, the Navajo Nation, community and economic development leaders, and residents in the Four Corners area. The Stipulated Settlement reached by parties was fairly negotiated and represents further concessions by PNM.

NEE has deliberately twisted PNM €™s plan that would close half of its coal-fired production at SJGS into somehow increasing the use of coal. It is a matter of simple arithmetic. If the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approves PNM €™s plan, coal use at SJGS will be cut in half on Jan. 1, 2018 and PNM €™s coal use at SJGS will be slashed by 36.5 percent.

There are also many false statements being made that solar and wind energy is cheaper than coal power. Coal generation is a base load resource that is available 24/7. NEE forgot to mention solar is available only about 35 percent of the time and wind 32 percent.

At night, on cloudy days and when the wind doesn €™t blow, power is still needed, meaning that, for every wind turbine and solar panel, there must be reliable backup power sources.

NEE purposefully misrepresents the fact that the PNM plan would save about 800 jobs combined at SJGS and the San Juan Coal Mine, and many other jobs that depend on them for work. A total closure, like NEE wants, could eliminate approximately 3,300 jobs.

The benefits of the PNM plan to the Four Corners €™ economy, the Navajo Nation and the state are indisputable. That €™s why more than 3,124 signatures of citizens from those two areas supporting the PNM plan were delivered to the NMPRC on June 24.

Another NEE tall tale claims there are plans to close the mine in 2019 - something the group €™s leader knows isn €™t true. PNM €™s contract with the mine €™s new owner runs through at least 2022, and there are currently no plans to close the mine.

NEE demands that PNM €œbe upfront about the need for investment and planning now for (job) retraining. € They know PNM committed to no layoffs of SJGS employees from the two-unit shutdown and pledged to re-train employees for positions that will remain.

PNM also committed $1 million in scholarships for members of the Navajo Nation, available through San Juan College and Navajo Technical University. I am proud to report that 208 students have already benefitted from the program and, so far, 37 have graduated.

PNM has held its operating costs flat for the past five years to help keep customer bills affordable. We also help the less fortunate, providing more than $321,000 in bill payment assistance to 3,076 families through the PNM Good Neighbor Fund. Through the PNM Resources Foundation and corporate giving, we provide over $3 million each year to support our communities.

What has NEE done for the less fortunate?

Calling oneself an advocate does not provide immunity to deliberately mislead the public or to shamelessly try to discredit a respected, local company that employs 1,500 New Mexicans in well-paid jobs. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.