Public Regulation Commission Rebuffs Biomass Opponents
On Thursday, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) issued an order requiring public utilities to purchase a minimum of ten percent of renewable energy from biomass. In doing so, the Commission rejected arguments made by the Forest Guardians and some vocal opponents of the Estancia biomass project, who sought to exclude biomass from the state’s renewable energy mix. After hearing their arguments, the Commission sided with biomass supporters, including Estancia Mayor Martin Hibbs (D), Torrance County Commissioner Jim Frost (R), as well as local residents. The PRC concluded:
Biomass brings positive attributes, such as the ability to serve as a baseload resource, and it is appropriate for utilities to have some biomass in their renewable energy portfolios. The biomass target of 10% of the RPS set out in the proposed rule represents a modest amount of biomass-generated electricity that can be acquired in New Mexico without threatening our reasonable cost thresholds and without forcing the exploitation of questionable fuel supplies. This target should be adopted in the final rule.
