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House committee advances bill that would require large energy users to cover grid upgrade costs
Summary
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 395 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after a daylong hearing in which utilities, industry groups, farmers and community advocates debated whether large commercial power users should be required to pay for new generation and transmission.
Representative Dan Garner opened the House State Affairs hearing on House Bill 395 by calling it a "ratepayer protection bill" that would require large energy users over 10 megawatts to pay for the infrastructure needed to serve them.
Garner said the bill would make large customers "do like we have the developers do. They pay their own way," and argued that without the change utility customers could be left to shoulder costs for new generation and equipment needed to serve very large loads.
The bill drew sharply divided testimony. Alex Laboy, president of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, opposed the measure, saying it "would effectively end economic development in Idaho by locking down the orderly management and well planned process of power supply in the state of Idaho." Laboy told legislators that many industrial and manufacturing expansions — and new mines — often require new generation, transmission and local government…
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