PRC commissioner recuses himself from merger issue

Nicholas Gilmore, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·1 min read

Jan. 27—Public Regulation Commission appointee Patrick O'Connell on Friday recused himself from any involvement in the matter of the proposed merger of Connecticut-based energy company Avangrid with Public Service Company of New Mexico.

O'Connell faced calls to recuse himself from the case after being appointed to the commission in December 2022, having given sworn testimony in support of stipulations for the merger as a policy analyst for Western Resource Advocates.

He also worked in various roles for PNM from 1999 to 2019, according to his résumé.

O'Connell could not be reached Friday for comment.

Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the advocacy group New Energy Economy — which intervenes in many commission cases involving PNM — expressed support of O'Connell's recusal.

"Commissioner O'Connell did the right thing to recuse himself in the PNM/Avangrid merger case because the law is clear that when there is an actual conflict of interest a judge or Commissioner must recuse," Nanasi wrote in an email.

The merger was denied by the previous commission, which was an elected body until this year. The matter now is before the state Supreme Court.