2006 New Mexico Statutes - Section 62-17-2 — Findings.

62-17-2. Findings.

The legislature finds that:

A.     energy efficiency and load management are  cost-effective resources that are an essential component of the balanced resource portfolio that public utilities must achieve to provide affordable and reliable energy to public utility consumers;

B.     energy efficiency and load management in New Mexico are resources that are currently underutilized;

C.     public and municipal utility investment in energy efficiency and load management presents opportunities to increase New Mexico's energy security, protect New Mexico energy consumers from price increases, preserve the state's natural resources and pursue an improved environment in New Mexico;

D.     investment in energy efficiency and load management by public utilities subject to public regulation commission oversight in accordance with the Efficient Use of Energy Act can bring significant economic benefits to New Mexico;

E.     it serves the public interest to support public utility investments in cost-effective energy efficiency and load management by removing any regulatory disincentives that may exist and allowing recovery of costs for reasonable and prudently incurred expenses of energy efficiency and load management programs;

F.     investments in energy efficiency and implementation of utility energy efficiency programs for economically disadvantaged New Mexicans, in conjunction with low-income weatherization programs managed by the state of New Mexico, will reduce the burden of utility costs on  low-income customers;

G.     public utility investments in cost-effective energy efficiency and load management can provide significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, regulated air emissions, water consumption and natural resource depletion, and can avoid or delay the need for more expensive generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure;

H.     New Mexico should participate in regional efforts to reduce energy consumption by twenty percent by 2020 through programs to reduce energy consumption;

I.     public utility resource planning to meet  New Mexico's energy service needs should be identified and evaluated on an ongoing basis in accordance with the principles of integrated resource planning; and

J.     it is necessary and appropriate to allow distribution cooperative utilities to participate in the implementation of energy efficiency programs in ways that differ from rules applicable to public utilities that are not customer owned.