Finally New Mexico ranks Number One! Sadly, not in something we can be proud of. We earned a 100 out of 100 risk score on the Private Equity Risk Index because of the harms already caused to our health care and housing sectors by these wealthy investor groups.

Now private equity is coming for our gas company!

Bernhard Capital Group (BCP) has applied to buy New Mexico Gas company. This group, with no experience running a large utility, a history of safety, labor and environmental violations at other companies it owns, and a record of anti-democratic campaign contributions to regulators to influence their decisions, wants to own and operate New Mexico Gas Company, an essential public service that more than 540,000 New Mexico households are dependent on.

What is BCP offering us? A $2.27 rate credit monthly for one year and a one year rate freeze. Could this be helpful? Maybe a little bit, in the short term, but they are also asking for a "regulatory asset," which would allow them to add up their expenses in the meantime and just stick them into rates later.

Of all fifty states, New Mexico is at the highest risk of adverse impacts from private equity ownership - the share of our workers employed by these wealthy investor groups has jumped almost 50% in recent years, a quarter of our hospitals and 35% of nursing homes are owned by private equity, and 22% of our state pension funds are invested in private equity firms. The last thing we want to do is expand that risk to our utilities!

We know BCP isn't coming here because they care about New Mexicans. It's because they see dollar signs for their investors - a potential to raise rates on New Mexican families already facing big cuts to health benefits and increased costs because of tariffs and inflation.

Sign this petition to join us in calling on the PRC to reject BCP's buyout of NM Gas Company and keep control of our utilities and our gas rates in New Mexico!