The New Mexico Supreme Court has denied a petition that sought to disqualify members of one of the state's most powerful regulatory panels from deciding the future of a coal-fired power plant.
The unanimous decision came about an hour after lawyers made their arguments during a packed hearing Monday afternoon.
The justices did say the case would warrant a higher level of scrutiny upon appeal.
The environmental group New Energy Economy had argued four Public Regulation Commission members have created at least an appearance of being biased through public statements about a plan to shutter part of the San Juan Generating Station.
An attorney for the group told the justices the decision making process has become political.
Attorneys for Commission Chairwoman Karen Montoya and Commissioners Patrick Lyons, Lynda Lovejoy and Sandy Jones rejected the accusations.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.