New Mexico Supreme Court to hear arguments in energy case

by: SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

Posted: Jan 29, 2020 / 05:34 AM CST / Updated: Jan 29, 2020 / 05:35 AM CST

FILE – This Nov. 9, 2009, file photo shows the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station near Farmington, N.M. New Mexico regulators are hearing from the public Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 as they consider plans by the state’s largest electric utility to replace the power that will be lost when the coal-fired station closes in 2022. The hearing before the Public Regulation Commission will stretch into next week, but it could be months before a decision is reached as other aspects of the case are in legal limbo. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court could determine how the state implements a landmark law that clears the way for the closure of a coal-fired power plant and sets goals for being carbon-free by 2045.

Oral arguments are scheduled Wednesday in Santa Fe. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration has argued that the Energy Transition Act passed last year is the law of the land and should apply to Public Service Co. of New Mexico’s application to close the San Juan Generating Station.

Questions were raised when regulators opted to consider a portion of the application as part of an ongoing case that was initiated before the law was enacted.