The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved a $11.25 easement agreement between Ohkay Owingeh and Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative.

The tribe's reservation hosts a large concentration of the utility's lines, transformers and substations. The agreement guarantees certainty for both parties and will result in an increase of about $4 more per month for Pueblo residents.

The deal also raises rates by about 24 cents per month for other customers, including those on several reservations in northern New Mexico. Commissioner Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, who cast the sole negative vote, said other tribes who are supplied by the utility weren't consulted.

"You don’t have the consultation with the Navajo Nation, and it’s not fair to charge 24 cents to their customers,” Becenti-Aguilar said during a public meeting, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Becenti-Aguilar is a member of the Navajo Nation and is married to a man from a Pueblo near Ohkay Owingeh.

The Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, however, said all nearby tribes were notified. Most did not participate in the public meetings regarding the deal.

Get the Story:
PRC approves Jemez electric co-op's deal with pueblo (The Santa Fe New Mexican 8/15)

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