By KRWG News
New Mexico – The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission plans to start a formal independent investigation into the events that led to tens of thousands of New Mexicans being left without natural gas service at a time of record cold temperatures.
The commission announced Thursday that it's drafting an order to commence the investigation. The order is expected to be finalized early next week.
The commission plans to contract with an independent third party to investigate and file a report with regulators regarding the cause of the service disruption. The commission's pipeline safety bureau and utility division will help with the investigation.
The investigation will look at whether New Mexico Gas Co.'s response was appropriate.
Commission chairman Patrick Lyons says citizens deserve nothing less than a prompt and thorough investigation.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.