The commission, in the discharge of its duties under the Public Utility Act [Chapter 62, Articles 1 to 6 and 8 to 13 NMSA 1978], may make joint investigations, hold joint hearings within or without the state and issue joint or concurrent orders in conjunction or concurrence with any official or agency of any state, the United States or any New Mexico Indian nation, tribe or pueblo. In the holding of such investigations or hearings or in the making of such order, the commission may function under agreements or compacts between states to regulate interstate commerce. The commission, in the discharge of its duties under the Public Utility Act, may also negotiate and enter into agreements or compacts with agencies of other states, pursuant to any consent of congress, for cooperative efforts in certificating the construction, operation and maintenance of major utility facilities in accord with the purposes of the Public Utility Act and for the enforcement of the respective state laws regarding same.

History: 1953 Comp., § 68-8-2.1, enacted by Laws 1977, ch. 191, § 1; 1993, ch. 282, § 44; 1998, ch. 108, § 47.

Compiler's notes. — Section 62-4-1 of the Public Utility Act is still effective as the repeal of Chapter 62, Article 4 by Laws 1998, Chapter 108, Section 82, effective July 1, 2003 was repealed prior to taking effect by Chapter 23, Section 1, Laws 2003. Although Laws 2003, Chapter 336, Section 8, amended Laws 1998, Chapter 82, as amended, an amendment of a repealed section is ineffective. See Quintana v. N.M. Dep't of Corrs., 100 N.M. 224, 668 P.2d 1101 (1983). Laws 2003, Chapter 416, Section 5 also repealed Laws 1998, Chapter 108, Section 82, as amended, a second time, however, that repeal is of no effect as the section had previously been repealed by Chapter 23, Section 1, Laws 2003.

The 1998 amendment, effective January 1, 1999, deleted "public utility" following "The" at the beginning of the section; substituted "may" for "is authorized to" near the beginning of the section; substituted "or any New Mexico Indian nation, tribe or pueblo" for "whether" near the middle of the section; substituted "may also" for "is further authorized to" near the end of the section.

The 1993 amendment, effective June 18, 1993, substituted "public utility commission" for "public service commission" in the first sentence.