CREA board pre-authorizes solicitation publication, OKs $20,000 website expense and recognizes $50,000 donation

The Community Renewable Energy Agency board voted on March 3 to allow publication of a resource solicitation if the Utah Public Service Commission substantially approves the solicitation docket and the board chair signs off, and it approved an amendment authorizing up to $20,000 to set up a secure website for receiving bids.

The board also voted to recognize a donation of up to $50,000 from Stewardship Utah to pay legal and expert-consultant expenses tied to the agency’s program application docket. The board heard updates on two Utah Public Service Commission dockets — the resource solicitation docket (24-035-55) and the program application docket (25-035-06) — and received budgeting guidance for the required customer noticing that would fund initial mailings under the Community Clean Energy Act.

Christopher Thomas, alternate board member for Salt Lake City and convenor of the program design committee, told the board that the agency and Rocky Mountain Power agreed the agency will file testimony in the program application docket on March 31, 2025. "We will file testimony in this docket on 03/31/2025," Thomas said, and said testimony will both present background on program development and identify areas for the Commission to decide where parties disagree.

On the solicitation timeline, Thomas…