Tribune editorial: Utah makes it way too easy for Rocky Mountain Power to delay its shift to clean energy, and put the cost on you. There goes your tax cut.
In such an alternative history, Michaganders might have taken actions similar to the drive in the 2024 session of the Utah Legislature to push back on moves to create, and profit from, low- and no-carbon energy sources and instead cling to another generation of coal-fired power generation. Except Rocky Mountain Power is not so confident in its ability to create a better future. That’s bad news, for Utah and for the planet.passed by the Utah Legislature and signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, has formally abandoned plans to accelerate the retirement of its two giant coal-fired power plants in Utah, plans that had included serious shifts to renewable sources of energy.
PacifiCorp’s now-abandoned move away from coal was largely driven by the fact that states where it does most of its business — California, Oregon and Washington — have mandated a phase-out of buying any power from that dirtiest-of-all source. But Utah’s retrograde legislation shelters utilities from much of the costs and risks of coal, and places them squarely on the backs of the state’s ratepayers.Under the new laws, Utah’s Public Service Commission is now instructed to assume, when setting a utility’s rates, that coal-fired power is the lowest-cost/lowest risk option. Even if it isn’t. And ratepayers will be assessed an estimated $3.
It might, Buffett says, be time for that job to fall to public agencies, to outfits that can take a longer view of things, don’t have to make profits for investors and can focus all their efforts on the public good. A public that wants power-generation to weigh as lightly on their wallets, and their lungs, as possible.
Canada Canada Latest News, Canada Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: sltrib - 🏆 316. / 61 Read more »