Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
New Mexico governor on Friday announced the appointment of three new members to the state’s Public Regulation Commission, including a former eastern New Mexico legislator.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Brian Moore, Gabriel Aguilera and Patrick O’Connell to the PRC. They began in their roles at the agency on Sunday.
Moore is president and CEO of Ranch Market supermarket in Clayton.
Moore stated his background in business and government would be a good fit for the PRC, in addition to his “reputation for honesty and ability work across party lines.”
He was a Republican member of the state House of Representatives from 2001 to 2008 in District 67, which included Quay, Harding, Curry and Roosevelt counties. Lujan Grisham is a Democrat.
Moore previously served as the legislative team leader for the New Mexico Association of Counties, as well as on the state’s Renewable Energy Transmission Authority Board and Lujan Grisham’s Economic Recovery Council. He attended the University of Denver.
Moore’s term of appointment is two years.
Aguilera has worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since 2007, most recently serving as senior policy adviser for the Commission’s Office of Energy Market Regulation western region.
He is a graduate of New Mexico State University and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. His term of appointment is four years.
O’Connell is a professional engineer with more than 28 years in New Mexico utilities. He is the Clean Energy Program interim director at Western Resource Advocates.
He worked for the Public Service Company of New Mexico, New Mexico Gas Company and the Sangre de Cristo Water Company.
He holds a civil engineering degree from the University of New Mexico. His term of appointment is six years.
“These appointees are experienced professionals who have the skills needed to oversee an energy transition that is affordable, effective and equitable for every New Mexico community,” Lujan Grisham stated in a news release. “I’m grateful to each of these individuals for providing their expertise in service of our state.”
Prior to these appointments, PRC members were elected to office.
In 2020, the New Mexico voters ratified the Legislature’s proposal to amend the state constitution to change the makeup of the commission from a five-member elected body to a three-member governor-appointed panel starting this month.
The governor selected the three new commissioners from a group of nine individuals vetted and submitted by the PRC Nominating Committee. This process was established in the 2020 constitutional amendment reforming the commission.