Activists in Utah and Wyoming held rallies this week urging state regulators to examine a document that could increase energy bills for many Westerners and worsen air pollution in the northern Rockies.
The focus was Rocky Mountain Power’s 2025 integrated resource plan, a strategy for electricity generation and transmission by the largest utility in both states, under PacifiCorp, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The integrated resource plan predicts slower investments in wind, solar power, and battery storage, which are cost-effective and emission-free methods of electricity delivery.
Residents and environmentalists, in states benefiting from fossil fuel production, argue that ignoring renewables, especially before Republican-led cuts to clean energy tax credits, will drive energy costs higher.
“We are being sold a monster,” said Luis Miranda, a senior campaign organizer with the Sierra Club, before a Salt Lake City rally. “We hope this pressure ensures PacifiCorp acts responsibly.”
David Eskelsen, a PacifiCorp spokesperson, stated the company typically refrains from commenting on public witness hearings. In Utah’s Public Service Commission testimony, PacifiCorp argued that building tax-advantaged renewable energy is unnecessary as fossil fuel resources are planned to remain in Utah.
During a Wednesday hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah public service commissioners heard from 15 members of the public, all opposing PacifiCorp’s plan. Some used Halloween-themed testimonies.
“My name is Dr. Frankenstein,” one commenter said in costume, calling PacifiCorp a “Pacifi-Corpse” executive. “You can stop this IRP before it becomes more problematic.”
Commissioner David Clark quipped, “I can’t resist wishing you a happy Halloween.”
Other critiques were serious. Tilden Warner, a student on crutches, expressed concern that PacifiCorp’s reliance on coal will worsen Utah’s environment, impacting the Great Salt Lake.
“By the time my future children grow up, there might be no lake,” he said.
Emma Verhamme, a pregnant Salt Lake City resident, voiced her worries about her daughter’s future amid air pollution, climate instability, and rising energy costs.
“I can’t list clean air or affordable energy on my baby registry,” she stated, urging the Public Service Commission to reject Rocky Mountain Power’s plan.
If the Utah Public Service Commission accepts the plan, it could aid the utility in justifying future rate adjustments. Without approval, PacifiCorp would struggle to argue the plan’s costs are justified, Miranda noted.
“The community is hopeful due to the Commission’s recent actions,” Miranda added. “They have been fair and outstanding.”
A Sierra Club event in Laramie, Wyoming, started shortly after the Salt Lake City hearing. Recent rate hikes by Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming have faced political scrutiny since 2023, when a 30% increase was proposed. Residents hope their Public Service Commission will soon hold a hearing on the integrated resource plan’s impact on rates.
John Burbridge of the Wyoming Public Service Commission confirmed a future hearing but gave no date. He did not comment on the Laramie rally.
“Rocky Mountain Power’s investments will affect your rates,” said Emma Jones, a Sierra Club organizer, at the event. “The Public Service Commission needs community input.”
Cost concerns were central to the rally. “I’m worried about the future,” said Laramie resident Madeline Dalrymple. The current plan “will increase living costs in Wyoming.”
Federal and private estimates show that wind and solar projects and battery systems are cheaper to build than natural gas and coal plants.
“The plan clings to an outdated world,” said Tanner Ewalt, another Laramie resident. “The market shows that coal and oil aren’t the future.”
Elsewhere, groups are concerned about PacifiCorp’s regional cost distribution within its six-state system. Fred Heutte of NW Energy Coalition noted the proposal’s regional cost allocations surprised him.
Heutte and Miranda worry localized grids will raise consumer costs. If PacifiCorp builds renewables in Oregon and Washington, Utah and Wyoming could miss out on affordable energy without proper transmission. Heutte said PacifiCorp claims this is currently the situation. Meanwhile, Oregonians and Washingtonians might bear the costs of new renewable projects that should benefit the whole grid.
“It’s a single system, and the most valuable resources should be developed wherever located,” Heutte said.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org