Gas service returning to New Mexico, Arizona

PHOENIX -- Crews scrambled Saturday to restore natural gas service cut off to thousands of customers in New Mexico and Arizona because of supply shortages caused by freezing temperatures.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez kept in place an emergency declaration she issued Thursday that shut down state office buildings and most schools to conserve natural gas in the state.

About 5,900 of 32,000 New Mexico Gas Co. customers who had been without service since mid-week had their gas restored by Saturday evening, said spokesman Patrick Davis. Crews from other states and licensed contractors were helping gas company crews with the huge job.

Martinez said that she also authorized about 50 members of the state's National Guard to help technicians restoring service to Espanola and Taos on Sunday.

Utility workers at Southwest Gas Corp. in southern Arizona were working to bring gas to 18,000 customers cut off since Thursday because of the same supply shortfall. About a third had gas by Saturday night.

Officials in both states said additional disruptions were not expected as temperatures rose, demand eased and supply disruptions in west Texas caused by the freezing weather diminished.

An El Paso Gas Corp. spokesman said the company's regional pipeline system was returning to normal pressures after demand over-stripped supply and forced utilities to cut some deliveries.

Supplies were crimped because gas wellheads froze and some power plants shut down, cutting power to gas processing stations, El Paso Gas spokesman Richard Wheatley said. At the same time, demand soared, and some customers were taking more gas out of the pipeline than they had ordered delivered, he said.