Just after Christmas I received an e-mail from Perry in New Mexico relating that he had heard a story on a local news show a couple of weeks earlier with info about Public Service Co. of New Mexico. Perry wrote there was, "a statement on the 10 o'clock news, to the effect that people had better lay in an extra cord of wood or two as well as extra blankets". Perry had not found anything in print to confirm this, and we both have been searching for confirmation since then, that what he heard did come from the utility.

There is a recent post on the Timebomb2000 Forum at:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000LhU

Anyone residing in New Mexico should read the entire thread if they're interested in local area information. Here is a portion:

"I've been involved in community awareness efforts for the City of Albuquerque. Our web page is at http://www.cabq.gov/y2k. The community awareness stuff is under the community awareness personal preparedness tab, If you can, please give me suggestions. I've been speaking to groups around NM and would like to contact anyone in Albuquerque to continue and enlarge community preparations. Our utility, PNM, was recently recorded (in a local mag Computer Scene) that stockpiling wood is a good idea

here's the article as there is no url

Wood could come in handly when year 2000 arrives

A cord of wood could be a hot item when the Year 2000 arrives.

Participants in a Year 200 summit held recently in Santa Fe were told by an official of Public Service Company of New Mexico that keeping some extra firewood on hand might be a good idea."

To be fair, Perry also related that the few others he had found who had heard about this had discounted it as a ploy by the utility to justify a recent application for rate increases. The utility's web site does indicate that there is a legal dispute with the PUC over the amount of increase granted.

I find it a stretch to believe that the utility would use a statement such as the above to possibly bolster support for a separate issue, but in the interests of objectivity I have presented the info and each reader can decide any implications for themselves.

Many thanks to Perry for permission to post the info he had heard, and for Sharon's public posting of the New Mexico area Y2K efforts and info!

-- Anonymous, January 03, 1999