[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5976406,"mediaKeyId","5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33","parentId",5843323,"title","Wyoming utilities, co-ops and miners clash over interruptible power tariff; committee to redraft","audioSeconds",7244,"startMs",2503000,"endMs",9747000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33&start=2503&end=9747","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33/thumbnail_2503000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5976406/Wyoming/Wyoming-utilities-co-ops-and-miners-clash-over-interruptible-power-tariff-committee-to-redraft","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5976406-fdd05f4159ef3b742161ae7d20a81676/orig.mp4?Expires=1775597347&Signature=YxGh2pb8DPC~czOnYtnZ-EBBChAbwPvQWd24OAUb2ADuI0T~fNaYq0V~-FscaTP1a45DjatCW~Io9d65Sw-VlQdJ8UAWESnacobr8AP~HsLFbQ9OzYYkqVxfq73fGA-G2xJxD5R6BU~62gYISH3REX-JZw8~EL6qbgLenj4hcJfsHNK~h442R6lMmTa3wM2gJCzL9kcEhjFnVyhSsPr-M3OK-NHpuchM-GI6etqKQQiq04iRTnJTtBLHos-z49lA~DEqpNqXNXBZKLNZXZq9H2xuv329GmipT-11JVu-FCsn0fAKFePF-gU~ZRG-RP8iNKVUgDMOaw6SM1Q4lL6wJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-09-23T11:12:12Z","article","A Wyoming select committee reviewed a draft bill that would require electric utilities to offer interruptible or load-management rates and to permit other utilities to serve customers in certificated territories where such tariffs are not available. The bill — introduced as a new statute (drafted in materials as proposed 37-3-120) — prompted extended testimony from the Wyoming Public Service Commission (PSC), investor-owned utilities, generation-and-transmission cooperatives and mining companies. Committee members did not adopt the draft; instead they asked staff to revise language and continue working with stakeholders.

Talise Hanson, the bill’s presenting staff attorney, walked members through the draft sections, portions of which would require utilities to establish at least one interruptible service or load-management rate beginning July 1, 2027; allow utilities to apply for an exemption to that requirement by May 1, 2027 (and annually thereafter); and require utilities to submit interruptible-service rates to the PSC by Sept. 1, 2027. The draft also included a process by which, if a utility lacked a tariff or received an exemption, customers located in that certificated territory could procure service from another electric utility after notice to the PSC and the incumbent utility, provided the new service did not reduce service to other customers in the territory.

The PSC’s chairman, Mike Robinson, and Deputy Chairman Petrie recommended several changes. They noted the PSC does not generally regulate municipal electric utilities (except in narrow cases) and that including municipal systems in a statewide mandatory requirement would raise franchise and constitutional questions. The commission also warned that an automatic annual exemption-review calendar and a 180-day deadline for a commission to set a rate after denying an exemption may not align with the commission’s contested-case processes and could overburden staff and utilities. The PSC offered a lower-burden alternative: expand the commission’s annual-report requirements to capture data on inquiries, applications and deployments of interruptible or load-management services so the commission can identify opportunities and decide whether new rules or proceedings are warranted.

Investor-owned and cooperative utilities described the operational and commercial landscape. Rocky Mountain Power said it previously had a Schedule 30 interruptible tariff but saw no customer uptake; the company now offers a demand-response schedule (Schedule 114, approved May 1, 2025) and a large-customer contract route (Schedule 400) for loads of 10 MW or greater. Tom Carter of Rocky Mountain Power said the utility currently had no cryptocurrency mining load in its Wyoming service territory. Black Hills Energy told the committee its interruptible tariff (created under earlier legislation) produced one customer in Cheyenne, CleanSpark, and that the tariff includes bill credits that benefit other customers. Basin Electric, Tri-State, Powder River and other cooperatives described existing demand-response programs and large-load offerings and stressed member governance and financing considerations.

Mining operators and proponents said clearer state rules or a targeted governance for interruptible service would unlock projects. Jamie Terranova, CEO of 44 West Mining (a Gillette-based Bitcoin miner), said miners currently self-curtail and that unclear signal timing and punitive peak charges had reduced uptime and sunk margins. He said his operation would benefit from reliable short-notice signals that allow miners to shut down on demand without facing punitive month-end peak demand charges.

Utilities and co-ops described multiple technical and economic barriers: many small municipal utilities do not have advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or real-time telemetry to support five-minute signaling; the capital cost to deploy AMI and distribution telemetry can be high for small systems; cooperatives stressed that certificated service territory is exchanged for an obligation to serve and said investors and lenders rely on territorial certainty. Tri-State and Basin described recently filed and approved demand-response and high-impact-load programs (Tri-State’s FERC-approved demand-response rider effective May 20, 2025, and Basin’s new large-load program implemented in June) intended to provide pathways for large customers.

Committee direction and next steps: members said the draft needs substantial work. Multiple members recommended narrowing the draft (for example, removing municipal electric utilities from the mandatory definition and streamlining the exemption language) and considering a threshold (committee discussion suggested a 1-MW minimum) to limit incursions into certificated territories to larger loads. Committee staff and members agreed to continue to revise the draft and to incorporate PSC suggestions (including capturing data in annual reports) rather than move the bill forward in its current form.

Why it matters: the legislation aims to expand options for very large electricity customers — including blockchain miners and large industrial loads — and to create a statutory pathway so customers can access interruptible service where incumbents cannot provide it. Utilities cautioned the committee that hasty or broadly punitive statutory language could undermine cooperative governance, municipal franchise rights and regulated processes, and could impose large costs on small utilities that lack AMI or telemetry.

Practical details from the record: the draft required interruptible rates beginning 07/01/2027, allowed exemption filings by 05/01/2027, required filing by 09/01/2027, and included a 180-day sequencing provision for commission action after an exemption denial. Witnesses referenced specific tariffs and programs, including Rocky Mountain Power’s Schedule 30 (former), Schedule 114 (demand response, 05/01/2025), Schedule 400 (large customer contract for 10 MW+), Tri-State’s FERC-approved demand-response rider (effective 05/20/2025) and Tri-State’s planned HILT (high-impact load tariff) for very large customers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Tech. & Digital Innovation Tech., September 22, 2025 - PM","oneSentenceSummary","A proposed law to require interruptible electricity tariffs and allow alternate service within certificated territories drew extensive testimony from the Public Service Commission, utilities, cooperatives and cryptocurrency miners.","taxTitle","Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology, Select Committees & Task Force, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",29269,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5976412,"Wyoming committee hears push to carve out DAO governance tokens, debates narrowing taxonomy bill",1917,1000,1918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33&start=1&end=1918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33/thumbnail_1000.jpg","/articles/5976412/Wyoming/Wyoming-committee-hears-push-to-carve-out-DAO-governance-tokens-debates-narrowing-taxonomy-bill","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5976412-3e481e13e0a8d0d39ec2f9bf4fe3f112/orig.mp4?Expires=1775597347&Signature=EEdgS033ssVNgsEJa8z~qmTclsE75PZjEdZMGmhYhfg1vXMXMP9c56JJw0u5638pFrs0t1k7AtwYJEDbq8K2bL5GhWikh31s0J9QQXUr9huGu4D-aCuIPctkA-vucYO6zdsbepUAUHtvYzLp~qtlD4zh4y6PmXjrf6oLGQy6lkBmba7TXYJoiMc6T4L1JBPEVkpaO3roGuDQ7Lu0nhCotuapklpSAh7fOkluJ-r0WeGHQBoZ8TZXshC7DRVqWikQnI9rbZI3e9y9YSec~1YFrngkLSCbSbyyCbkAjO9sq8ssI-~K1l3MirNsMYd9pOdhOP6WLs7n8tClB5XED2vbqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of a Wyoming legislative select committee continued work on a proposed digital-assets taxonomy and heard public comment Wednesday on whether the bill should retain a broad set of token definitions or be narrowed to a single governance-token definition. Presenters representing decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) urged the panel to adopt explicit language saying governance tokens represent voting rights and are not securities. Lawmakers debated whether to move forward with a narrow governance token bill or keep the broader taxonomy and asked staff to circulate suggested language for follow-up work.

The matter drew sustained public comment from organizers of the American CryptoFed DAO, who described their organization and urged the committee to make a clear statutory carveout so governance tokens are treated differently from securities. Scott Mueller, listed in testimony as an organizer of American CryptoFed DAO, said the DAO filed with the Wyoming secretary of state on July 1, 2021, and urged that a governance token be defined to represent voting rights rather than shares of ownership. \"A governance token is not a security,\" Mueller said while reading proposed draft language that would expressly declare governance tokens not to be securities.

The committee discussed how to treat \"consumptive tokens\" and whether consumer protections should be tiered rather than tied to a large catchall category. A presenter identified in the transcript as Brandon (Maher) explained a proposed approach to make consumer-protection obligations apply to a taxonomy that is abstracted from any single federal definition so state rules \"come right up to the line but don't cross it,\" while noting the committee should monitor federal legislation.

Representative Feiler moved to advance only the governance-token definition and delete the rest of the draft; Senator Olson seconded. Committee members debated whether paring the draft would eliminate useful options and whether conforming language would be required for any stand-alone governance definition. The committee voted on the amendment language, which failed in the recorded voice vote. A subsequent motion to table the bill until the next meeting was made and the committee agreed to table the bill and to continue working on the draft in informal meetings.

Why it matters: committee members said clearer, narrower statutory language could give DAO organizers legal certainty needed to distribute governance tokens in Wyoming, while keeping a broader taxonomy could allow the state to prepare for multiple legislative outcomes at the federal level. Committee staff said written suggestions from public commenters would be circulated to members.

The record shows the committee did not adopt final statutory changes and instead instructed staff and members to continue refining definitions, circulate public comments, and consider a narrower governance-token bill as a possible separate draft if needed.","Lawmakers and public commenters debated definitions for a proposed digital-assets taxonomy, with DAO organizers urging a clear carveout that governance tokens are not securities. A motion to strip the draft to a single governance-token definition failed and the bill was tabled for further work.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5976400,"Select committee opens discussion on autonomous vehicles; proposes exploratory pilot and further stakeholder outreach",705,10895000,11600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33&start=10895&end=11600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5843323-b88086fa7153251e7bc476c6ddacfc33/thumbnail_10895000.jpg","/articles/5976400/Wyoming/Select-committee-opens-discussion-on-autonomous-vehicles-proposes-exploratory-pilot-and-further-stakeholder-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5976400-00cc1af5192c6683eefc49150b10d0a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775597347&Signature=BX8JC7ehYHgA-UycL4FgxMiUB2t2gDfERDLdStRROB4P0B7xOGixEbx0p-IKMlB3ixUtid9e6BkZV6jCucg7CMV3bQ-vX5NN0a~QMkBiiSm67oHWpHK-zdnaygGJvPrV~Cy28ek0c50ZHSIctqICU-lUn7~OD9aISrkX980UA0YaHuSi-T2RrGUSIJvYTr8q0DXK~IPlHMJI25QYUGB1jE9YZaGPlS8YgOnYBC-eA8WzP9XKWe4XjpM7Rp69Rg4wd5Tu4QjG33rxO6Ixpn-WA3mcemAzJABWsWtlLmqVmXaraDnG7-cziIYBaDSX0FTbaslFFKPZXjzSoXj8Fy2hLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The select committee discussed autonomous vehicles in a short session at the end of the meeting and agreed to continue outreach and research rather than pursue immediate legislation. David Pope, a governor’s liaison and committee presenter, urged the committee to explore an autonomous-vehicle pilot — a test the presenter called a Wyoming Autonomous Vehicle Exploratory (WAVES) project — to measure whether the state could safely deploy vehicle fleets for uses such as the state motor pool. Pope said autonomous vehicles could materially raise utilization of an existing vehicle fleet and cited the possibility that an autonomous fleet could reduce motor-pool costs and vehicle-hours driven by state employees.

Committee members said liability and insurance language will be necessary before any broad deployment and recalled prior legislative drafting work on autonomous vehicles. Several lawmakers volunteered to continue informal outreach to companies and stakeholders; the presenter said he had made initial contact with policy staff at Tesla and would pursue additional industry conversations if the committee wishes to continue. No vote was taken; the committee instructed staff to keep the issue on its radar and to pursue stakeholder engagement during the interim.

Why it matters: committee members said autonomy in road and fleet operations raises regulatory, operational and ethical questions — including liability, municipal and state road-safety interaction and wildlife/collision scenarios — that require structured study before drafting statutory language. Lawmakers expressed interest in further study and in consulting other states’ experience before drafting a new bill.

Next steps: committee staff to collect prior draft language, continue outreach to technology companies and other state agencies, and prepare options for whether to pursue a limited pilot or draft enabling legislation at a future meeting.","The committee heard a brief presentation urging an exploratory autonomous-vehicle pilot and statutory clarity on liability and insurance. Legislators directed staff to continue outreach to industry and regulators and to consider revisiting legislation drafted in prior sessions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wyoming utilities, co-ops and miners clash over interruptible power tariff; committee to redraft

Wyoming committee hears push to carve out DAO governance tokens, debates narrowing taxonomy bill

Select committee opens discussion on autonomous vehicles; proposes exploratory pilot and further stakeholder outreach