New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says state regulators have turned down his request to study the costs and benefits of renewable energy within the state.
Balderas made the request last month, asking the Public Regulation Commission to investigate the value of distributed generation systems, such as rooftop solar.
He says the state's current electricity system is dysfunctional and that reforms should ensure renewable energy is an affordable option.
PRC Chairwoman Karen Montoya says the request to look into distributed generation was prompted by a rate proposal floated by New Mexico's largest electric utility, PNM.
Now that the rate case has been rejected, Montoya says the PRC decided to table the study.
The attorney general's office argues that distributed generation is a statewide issue and needs to be studied.
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