Utah’s Republican Governor Signs Bill to Assist Communities to Reach 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2030

Utah Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, signed the Community Renewable Energy Act, which will assist communities in achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, setting up a framework between them and Utah’s largest electricity provider, Rocky Mountain Power Inc.

• House Bill 411 was introduced on February 26 by Republican Representative Steve Handy and allows municipalities or counties to apply for 100 percent of annual electric supply from renewable energy by 2030. Communities that are interested in participating must adopt a resolution by December 31, 2019 and be approved by the state Public Service Commission, which would then allow individual consumers to opt into Rocky Mountain Power’s program.
• The bill, which is the result of collaboration between Park City, Salt Lake City, Summit County and the utility Rocky Mountain Power, gives clear legislative guidelines to the Public Service Commission and allows for greater consumer choice.
• Just last month, the utility proposed three other innovative programs to explore vehicle-to-grid power flow management, study the value of behind-the-meter grid optimized solar-plus-battery installations, and improve outage response by deploying line sensor technology on distribution circuits. The initiatives form the fifth tranche of proposed programs under the Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan, or STEP, Act enacted in 2016 establishing utility investments in battery storage, electric vehicle infrastructure, and clean energy programs.
• Rocky Mountain Power is a division of PacifiCorp.