Jeff Bingaman: “In the case of New Mexico, the renewable portfolio was included in a much larger deregulation proposal the State adopted…”

“In the case of New Mexico, the renewable portfolio was included in a much larger deregulation proposal the State adopted before the difficulties in California. Once the difficulties in California became evident with supplies of electricity there, our legislature got concerned and essentially put on hold and suspended any effect of the entire statute until the year 2006, when they said they would look at it again. The renewable portfolio standard, which obviously is not in any way related to the issue of deregulation that they were struggling with in California, was a casualty of the concern. I am not disagreeing with the decision of our legislature to put off the deregulation, but I think they made an error in putting off the effort to move toward a renewable portfolio standard. Clearly, though, they are counted in what the Senator has in mind in his amendment as having a program in New Mexico, even though it is suspended until the year 2006.”