Coop Seeks Expedited Ruling to Prevent Tribal Takeover
After filing an amended complaint on December 14, the Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative is asking a federal judge for an expedited ruling to prevent a New Mexico tribal authority from potentially taking ownership of its electric distribution system on a Northern New Mexico Indian reservation as early as next month. The coop is also seeking an order that would compel the Jicarilla Apache Nation to enter into mandatory binding arbitration. The Nation, which consumes 48 percent of the coop’s electrical load, is upset with the electric service it has been receiving and plans to terminate its business relationship with NORA by June 2014, when a franchise agreement between the two entities expires. Click here to read more about the parties’ claims and the Nation’s motion to stay or dismiss the case.
