Unhappy when renewable mandates increase your electric bill? Don’t have a conniption!

June 12, 2019

Earlier this year, supporters of New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act (ETA) promised the disastrous bill wouldn’t raise electric rates. The law has been hailed as our own Green New Deal and supporters promised nothing but greatness for our future.

That’s why it was enlightening this week to see a supporter of the law admit what we’ve known all along: our rates will go up.

Last week, one New Mexico lawmaker penned an op-ed calling on the state’s energy secretary to resign after reading about our investigation into the ETA. In response to a tweet about the op-ed, a supporter of the ETA delivered what he might’ve thought was a condensing taunt. Instead, it appears he acknowledges the state’s largest electric utility might have to come asking for a 10% increase in electric bills.

As long as the rate increase isn’t 200%, any other increase is acceptable?

In a state consistently ranked highest in the nation for poverty, it’s troubling to see supporters of renewable mandates cast aside double-digit electric bill increases as a non-issue. Keep in mind, if anyone is brazen enough to question such an increase they are going into a “conniption fit.”

Of course, all of this illustrates one problem with renewable mandates supporters are loathe to talk about: they disproportionately harm the poor.

Perhaps it’s time supporters of the ETA are more honest about the future they are forcing upon the people of New Mexico.