There’s lots of conflicting information floating around about SB210 and HB199,
PNM has been lobbying your legislators for more than a year for a bill that imposes a long list of requirements on solar installers.
While PNM is peddling Senate Bill 210 and House Bill 199 as “consumer protection” bills, but they are really part of an effort to stifle competition from residential solar, which homeowners are increasingly choosing as an alternative to PNM’s expensive mix of mostly coal, nuclear and gas.
This legislation is based on a model by the right-wing, anti-environment consortium ALEC. While much of the worst language has been removed, the legislation is still intended to undermine the residential solar industry, one of New Mexico’s few job-growth industries. The Unfair Trade Practices Act already protects consumers from the same activities that this legislation presumably targets.
The Senate passed SB210, and HB199 has passed two House committees and goes to the House floor next. Click here to find your representative’s contact information and ask them to please vote “No” on HB199, or amend it so that it doesn’t require solar businesses to refer potential customers to utilities for rate questions and to disclose to solar customers that selling their Renewable Energy Certificates to utilities reduces the overall renewable energy required in our state.
It’s hard for solar companies to oppose this legislation because they rely on PNM to connect their customers in a timely manner, so it’s up to us to stand up for affordable and accessible solar.
Click here to read the New Mexican article on SB210/HB199.