Time to end RR’s power outages
They say there are only two certainties in life— death and taxes. In Rio Rancho, there is a third— frequent power outages.
Why is it that large sections of Rio Rancho routinely experience power outages lasting from minutes to hours? It seems most of these outages occur in the evening, ruining family time, and require the resetting a number of electrical appliances when power is restored. After the last major electrical outage, PNM committed to city leaders that system testing and upgrades were underway that would substantially reduce the number of outages, but frequent power outages continue to plague businesses and households throughout the city.
What is it going to take to make PNM follow through in a reasonable, but timely manner, with their commitment to improve the delivery of electric service to homes and businesses throughout the city? What can we the citizens of our city do to force PNM to improve their delivery of power to Rio Rancho homes and businesses? For starters:
1. Contact our city leadership and demand they speak on behalf of all Rio Rancho PNM customers to get a formal commitment from the utility, in writing, as to what and when they will fix the recurring issues that result in the frequent power outages.
2. Specific areas of concern that need to be addressed are:
a. Why are there repeated power outages in the city that affect thousands of households?
b. Does the underground electrical cable system in the city need to be systematically replaced or upgraded?
c. Is there a pattern of specific failures in the system?
d. Has PNM’s power distribution system kept pace with the growth of homes and businesses in the city?
e. What is the current condition of the underground electrical distribution cable, particularly in Enchanted Hills, which appears to suffer from the most frequent power failures to homes and businesses?
f. Provide a specific time table for PNM to correct/ replace electrical components that are deteriorated/sub-standard or do not meet current standards.
3. Start a letter writing campaign to the state’s Public Regulation Commission (PRC) requesting that they investigate the reasons for the frequent power outages in Rio Rancho.
4. The next time PNM goes to the PRC for an electrical rate increase the city should challenge it on the grounds that PNM should not be granted a rate increase until they can deliver reliable electrical power service to the homes and businesses in Rio Rancho.
In Rio Rancho, there are a significant number of households with elderly citizens and those who require a dependable source of electricity for health reasons. It’s time for PNM to give more than lip service and promises for correcting the issues with their electrical distribution system that cause these all too frequent power outages. Too bad that PNM customers don’t have a choice when it comes to who provides their electric service, like we do with our telephone providers.