What is the PRC and Why Is This Race So Important?
Before we introduce you to Janene we want to stress how critically important the race for PRC Commissioner is. We feel it is the second most important race in NM after Governor. The PRC ‘regulates’ our utilities, transportation, telecommunications, and more. The five commissioners have far more power than any one NM Legislator and for environmentalists their role in determining when and how we transition to renewable energy is critical.
But as currently comprised, the PRC Commissioners consistently vote 3-2 in favor of whatever our utility providers request (e.g. PNM). By electing Janene, we would unseat Lynda Lovejoy in District 4 and flip the balance to 3-2 environmentally aligned majority. If we were also to win in District 5 where Steve Fischmann is challenging incumbent Sandy Jones,, we could wind up with a 4-1 super majority. You have to know that PNM and other utilities will pour money into this campaign. They simply can’t afford to lose their stranglehold on the PRC. But, we can do this. But only if you get involved: canvass, call, contribute.
To read more about how consistently three PRC Commissioners have sided with utility companies and their shareholders, at the expense of ratepayers and the planet, click here for a one-page summary that includes three specific examples where PRC majorities of 3-2 have resulted in ratepayers being levied hundreds of millions of dollars in rate increases over the objection of the PRC Hearing Officers.
To find out more about each candidates views and how to support their campaign:
- Janene’s Yazzie her district includes parts of Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Bernalillo County, so you can actually canvass for her easily, click here.
- Steve’s campaign stretches from the Mexican border up to Los Lunas and covers the southwest quadrant of the state. For more information on Steve, his campaign, and how you can support it, click here.
Now Let’s Meet Janene Yazzie
Wife and Mother
Janene is born for Tsi’naajinii and Tódích’íi’nii. Her maternal grandparents are Naałani Dine’é and her paternal grandparents are Dziłghai. She is a proud Indigenous woman and is the daughter of Laura Lee Yazzie and Jackie Yazzie Jr.
She was born in Gallup, NM where she currently resides. She is strongly motivated by her family, which keeps her grounded in the work that she does. She met her husband while attending Barnard College, of Columbia University in New York. Together they have two beautiful children and knowing that they, and all children, face a future that will be defined by access to clean water, she has dedicated her life in service of a more just and sustainable world.
Community Member
Janene grew up in the Puerco Valley region, extending from Gallup, NM to Sanders, AZ. Her life of advocacy began when she worked as a volunteer at Battered Family Services in Gallup, NM at the age of 16. Since then she has grown as a community organizer and human rights advocate working directly with community stakeholders to advance environmental, economic, and social justice. Janene understands that healthy families depend on healthy communities, and it is her goal to contribute to sustainable, healthy, and economically prosperous communities for all New Mexico residents as we adapt to the impacts of Climate Change.
Activist
Janene brings over ten years of experience working as an Indigenous rights advocate with a particular focus on sustainable economic development. She co-founded Sixth World Solutions with her husband, a business that works with Dine’ (Navajo) communities to develop projects, programs and policies that promote sustainability, environmental justice, and self-governance. She also co-founded the first Navajo Nation community-led watershed planning program with Jacques Seronde, Byron Huskon (funded with the support of former NN Council Delegate Lorenzo Curley and Delegates Walter Phelps and Alton Shepherd) which serves to exercise local control in the sustainable management, restoration, and protection of natural resources. through youth engagement and community capacity building. She has worked throughout the Southwest and Four Corners Region for water and food security, and has served as a strong community advocate in the fight against uranium contamination, pollution from fracking, and in addressing the effects of the Gold King Mine Spill.As such, she has earned international recognition for her advocacy of Indigenous rights and currently serves as the North American focal point to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For more information about Yazzie, to donate to her campaign or to offer to canvass or phone bank on her behalf, click here.