El Paso Electric seeks rate increase, Chamber gets new CEO, cartel trial moved
by El Paso Matters Staff, El Paso Matters
August 9, 2024
This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
El Paso Electric to Seek Rate Increase This Year
El Paso Electric in the coming months will ask the state’s utility regulator if it can raise customers’ rates here, according to EPE filings submitted to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. It’s not clear yet when or how much household power bills in El Paso might rise.
EPE said it will submit its rate hike application during this year’s fourth quarter, from October through December. That will initiate what will likely be a months-long process in which El Paso Electric will explain to the PUC why the utility thinks it needs to collect more money from its Texas customers. It’s possible that the city of El Paso and major power users in the region will intervene and try to negotiate down EPE’s rate request; it’s common for utilities to propose double-digit percentage rate hikes before eventually settling for a smaller rate increase.
Under the cost-of-service system in place, EPE invests in expenditures such as power plants, solar farms, substations and distribution wires, and more to generate and deliver electricity to customers. Then, EPE goes to the PUC at least every four years to seek a rate increase that will allow EPE to recover the money it invested since its last rate increase. The PUC determines how much monopoly utilities such as EPE can legally profit; currently the utility is allowed to make a 7.5% after-tax rate of return on invested capital.
EPE last formally raised rates in 2022. But in the time between rate increases, EPE charges customers temporary fees – sometimes called “riders” – that allow EPE to recoup money from customers for various investments the utility makes in between rate increases. For example, EPE began charging customers this year a “generation cost recovery” rider that adds about an extra $2.50 to monthly bills on average. The PUC approved that extra fee so that EPE could quickly start recovering some of the money that it spent building the Newman 6 natural gas power plant unit, but without having to go through a lengthy rate increase process. If EPE wins approval for the proposed rate hike, it would recoup the remainder of its investment in the new power plant.
El Paso Chamber Hires NEW CEO
Ricardo Mora, a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” has been named the new CEO of the El Paso Chamber. His first day on the job is Aug. 19.
"Strengthening binational commerce is key to our region's prosperity,” said Mora, who has worked on both sides of the border. “The El Paso Chamber is the business community’s lead advocate. I look forward to continuing that work for business today and businesses of the future.”
Mora most recently worked as principal at RM International, a specialized IT and asset management company. He also is the co-founder of the Technology Hub Business Innovation Center in Ciudad Juárez.
“Our selection committee was purposeful in finding a CEO who can help develop and capitalize on opportunities of binational near-shoring, tech manufacturing and human capital development. Ricardo doesn’t just fit the bill, he exceeds it,” said Elizabeth O’Hara, chair of the El Paso Chamber executive board.
Mora succeeds Andrea Hutchins, who served as the El Paso Chamber CEO for almost two years. Hutchins and her husband, an Army colonel, recently moved to Washington state.
Trial of Sinaloa Cartel Leader to Move to New York
The trial of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, a reputed leader of the Sinaloa cartel, will be moved from El Paso to Brooklyn, New York, the New York Times reported earlier this week. Zambada, 76, was apprehended on July 25 at Doña Ana International Jetport, alongside Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Initially appearing in El Paso's Albert Armendariz Sr. Federal Courthouse, Zambada is now expected to face charges in the same Brooklyn federal courthouse where El Chapo was convicted in 2019. The decision to transfer the trial to New York was influenced by the district’s heightened security measures and its successful prosecution of high-profile cartel cases.
Zambada, who faces multiple federal charges, including continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney claims Zambada was forcibly brought to the United States against his will by Guzmán López, a claim that remains under scrutiny. The move marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the leadership of the Sinaloa cartel.
The date of Zambada’s transfer and subsequent court appearance in New York has not yet been announced.
Texas Tech Health El Paso Faculty Earn Prestigious Honor
Texas Tech Health El Paso recently announced that seven of its faculty made the Stanford University/Elsevier’s World’s Top 2% of Scientists List. The recognition honors leading researchers in various fields for the quality of their work that is developed in El Paso but benefits the world.
The Texas Tech Health El Paso professors on the list are Stephen Borron, professor and Division Chief of Medical Toxicology; Deborah Clegg, vice president for Research and professor of Internal Medicine; Richard Lange, TTHEP president, dean of the Foster School of Medicine; Richard McCallum, professor and founding chair, Department of Internal Medicine – Division of Gastroenterology, Debabrata Mukherjee, professor and chair of Internal Medicine, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine; Attilio Orazi, professor and chair of Pathology; and Biff F. Palmer, professor in the Department of Medical Education.
List organizers based their decisions on 2022 data such as citations and the impact of their publications.
"With seven of our researchers named in the top 2%, we're demonstrating our commitment to groundbreaking research and reinforcing our status as a global leader in health care," Lange said. "I'm honored to be included on this list, and because our faculty choose to be in this community, I'm proud to join them in demonstrating our commitment to the community and the future medical professionals we teach."
This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
