New Mexicans petition, rally in protest of proposed Rio Rancho LNG facility

Gathered in winter coats and beanies on a cold and snowy day in Albuquerque, residents and environmental advocates rallied outside the New Mexico Gas Co. headquarters on Thursday against the liquefied natural gas facility the utility wants to build in Rio Rancho.

The group of about two dozen delivered a petition to the gas company, asking it to withdraw its application to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission to set up the liquefied natural gas, or LNG, storage facility. This comes the week before the PRC will start its hearing on the LNG plant proposal.

The petition lists negative safety, environmental and financial impacts that could result from the LNG plant as reasons regulators should deny its construction. The letter has more than 700 signatures, mostly from New Mexicans located in the central part of the state.

“The risks to public health, first responders, the environment and ratepayers are too great,” the petition states. “We must prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our community, and we ask that you make the right decision.”

State officials, including more than a dozen legislators, and the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners also have spoken out against the LNG plant.

New Mexico Gas Co. spokesperson Tim Korte told the Journal via email the utility respects everyone’s right to express opinions and respectfully disagrees with those who oppose the proposed LNG facility. The company is proposing that the facility be built in Rio Rancho city limits north of the Double Eagle Airport.He said the facility would benefit New Mexicans, allowing the utility to have more reliable access to store natural gas during periods of supply constraints or price volatility.The proposal to build the $180 million, 25-acre facility came after the a severe winter storm, Storm Uri, caused gas prices to drastically spike in February 2021. New Mexicans just recently stopped paying a roughly $5.40 average monthly surcharge on residential bills this month, after two and a half years of paying extra so the gas company could recover costs it incurred to meet demand during the storm.Korte said natural gas utilities in more than 20 states operate similar LNG storage facilities and have done so safely and reliably for more than 40 years.“The technology for storing LNG for utility operations is safe, and it is not new,” he said.The public hearing process for the gas plant proposal before the PRC starts Monday. PRC commissioners should make a decision on the matter in March.“The truth is that investing in fossil fuel infrastructure at this time is totally irresponsible,” Zephyr Jaramillo of Youth United for Climate Crisis Action said in a statement opposing the LNG facility that was issued by the New Energy Economy after Thursday’s rally. “Climate action demands no further investment in new fossil fuel projects.”