Don't Leave N.M. Out in the Cold

Steve Pearce

NewsNM note - This op-ed piece is a corrected version submitted by Congressman Steve Pearce late Tuesday - Earlier this month, New Mexicans faced subzero temperatures, snow, and ice across the state. Along with the freezing cold and rolling electricity blackouts, thousands of families were left without natural gas. Now, as heat is restored and lights come back on, it is the time for answers.

We pay for natural gas so that we can cook and heat our homes, and we rely on those services. Consumers cannot just switch providers as with other products—public service companies have a responsibility to deliver in any circumstances. While there are reasonable explanations, there is no acceptable justification for the failure to deliver natural gas service to the people of New Mexico during the recent winter weather. First and foremost, New Mexicans must be made whole. I commend those few companies that have taken the leadership to establish compensation funds. However, others have yet to publicly show that they understand the impact that losing natural gas service had on so many New Mexicans. I hope they will rethink their position.

It is time for answers. We have already begun to understand what happened—what some have called “a perfect storm.” In Texas, the adverse weather conditions disrupted dozens of power generating units, causing rolling blackouts. Gas processing plants were left without power, wellheads and lines froze, and demand skyrocketed. As a result, even though we had gas in volume, we did not have the pressure needed to get it into homes.

But even once we answer the questions of “why,” the more pressing question is “how”—how can we avoid this sort of crisis in the future? Were rolling blackouts the best approach, or should power have been maintained in the areas that run our gas lines? Are we too reliant on energy from outside New Mexico? If our electricity came from other sources, could this have been avoided? I am pleased to see my colleagues in the New Mexico congressional delegation seeking answers at the U.S. Senate field hearing in Albuquerque on Monday. We will inevitably face another storm of these proportions, and when we do, we must be prepared. New Mexicans don’t ask for much; we just don’t want to be left out in the cold.

Don't Leave N.M. Out in the Cold