|
Today, Tuesday, February 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will hold a public comment hearing at the UNM Student Union Building, Ballroom C, on Blackstone’s proposed acquisition of PNM’s parent company, TXNM Energy.
This is not just a business deal. It is a defining decision about who controls New Mexico’s largest electric utility and whose interests come first.
Blackstone is one of the largest private equity firms in the world. Private equity exists to maximize returns for investors. Utilities exist to provide safe, reliable service at just and reasonable rates for the public. Those are fundamentally different missions.
Electricity is not a luxury product. It is essential infrastructure. It powers our homes in extreme heat and freezing winters. It keeps hospitals open. It supports small businesses. It enables schools to function. Every rate decision hits working families directly.
The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County’s County Central Committee stepped up months ago and passed a resolution opposing this acquisition and calling for greater public accountability in how our energy system is governed . That action was not about ideology. It was about values.
Our party believes essential infrastructure should serve people first. We believe ratepayers deserve transparency and long term stability. We believe New Mexico’s renewable transition should be guided by community benefit, not quarterly profit targets.
This hearing is where that principle meets real action.
The PRC is the body that decides whether this acquisition moves forward. Commissioners will weigh legal arguments, financial projections, and public testimony. When everyday New Mexicans show up, it changes the tone of the room. It reminds regulators that this decision affects real people, not abstract balance sheets.
If you want to speak, you do not need to register in advance. Arrive between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the UNM Student Union Building and sign in. Speakers are typically limited to three minutes . Written comments can also be submitted through the PRC’s online system before final action.
This is about more than one company. It is about whether New Mexico’s energy future is shaped by communities or by corporate finance.
Tomorrow, show up for affordable rates. Show up for accountability. Show up for people over private equity.
| 
