Staff for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission are asking commissioners to authorize a formal investigation into the state’s largest electric provider after widespread customer complaints of exceedingly expensive bills.
In a five-page filing to the commission Tuesday, staffers on the entity’s Public Interest Advocacy team wrote that electric provider PNM in July began estimating residential customer bills, rather than obtaining readings from meters, in the Alamogordo and Ruidoso areas because of a meter reader shortage. The practice quickly spread statewide, they wrote.
The commission subsequently held a September town hall meeting in Alamogordo, where some residents complained that their monthly bills had gone as high as $1,700. Last month, the New Mexico Department of Justice announced it had received several complaints from residents across the state who saw their monthly bills skyrocket from their usual range of $150 to $200.
Staffers wrote in the Tuesday filing that they intend to investigate what caused the issue, whether PNM complied with applicable laws and regulatory requirements and whether there are regulatory measures available to prevent a situation like this from happening again.
They wrote that they would test meters in Alamogordo and Ruidoso, review PNM’s billing data and write monthly updates and a public report with their findings and recommended next steps.
In a statement to Source NM, PNM spokesperson Eric Chavez said the company stands ready to provide information to utility regulators.
“PNM understands the concerns surrounding this summer’s meter reading and billing issues and remains committed to supporting affected customers,” Chavez said. “We welcome the opportunity to provide the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission with information about what occurred, how customers were affected and the actions PNM has taken in response.”
The announcement comes nearly a month after New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sent a letter to Don Tarry, the CEO of PNM and its parent company, informing him that residents across the state had filed complaints with the New Mexico Department of Justice over shockingly high PNM bills.
In his Sept. 9 letter, Torrez included complaints several residents had sent to his office, including one who wrote that a relative’s bill had suddenly jumped from $150 to $766 in one month. Another, written by an Otero County married couple, said that PNM didn’t read their meter in July.
“Though we completely understand staffing issues, an electric bill of over $1,000, when we have not had one over $200 in the last year, is absurd,” they wrote. “We cannot get any answers from PNM, even after asking to see usage patterns and asking about meter modifications. This is highly irregular, and we should not have to pay over a thousand dollars when PNM will not provide facts.”
