Ogden staff brief council on Utah Renewable Communities plan and protections for low-income customers

Lorenzo, Ogden’s sustainability coordinator, told the City Council that the Utah Renewable Communities (URC) coalition would pool participating communities’ purchasing power to procure renewable energy to match roughly 25% of Rocky Mountain Power’s Utah load and reach net 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The presentation explained how the program would operate while customers remain Rocky Mountain Power customers: a small additional line on utility bills would reflect each participant’s share of the URC procurement. Lorenzo said the URC board’s target for the average customer is “no more than $3 to $4 a month,” although a $2–$7 range has been discussed. He summarized protections for low-income customers, saying those on Rocky Mountain Power’s HELP (Schedule 3) would automatically receive a bill credit—“up to $7”—and that non–low-income customers would fund remaining low-income credits via a modest per-bill surcharge and by leveraging federal LIHEAP assistance where eligible.

Why it matters: URC would give Ogden residents a municipal pathway to 100% matched renewable energy by 2030 rather than waiting for Rocky Mountain Power’s systemwide mix to change. The program aims to produce regional benefits—jobs and cleaner air in rural project areas—while retaining Rocky Mountain Power billing and reliability.

Key details and next steps: Lorenzo said the Public Service Commission is holding a multi-part hearing on Dec. 16 and typically rules within about 30 days; if approved by the PSC, cities would have roughly seven months (including required customer notice windows) before the program begins showing as a line item on bills. The anticipated local adoption vote on a participation ordinance is expected in spring 2026, with actual billing impacts likely appearing later in 2026 as billing-system upgrades are completed. Lorenzo said customers would be automatically enrolled but have an opt-out window of 60 days before program start and an additional six months after launch during which they could leave without a termination fee; after that a one-time small termination fee (cited as about $30) could apply for regular customers, while no fee would ever apply to qualifying low-income customers.

Council members asked about funding and administration, including whether the state Office of Consumer Protection or other agencies had filed testimony and how project selection and payment flows would work. Lorenzo said the URC board is running an RFP for candidate projects and that the city’s role would be to approve participation via an ordinance and conduct local outreach during the customer-notice period.

What’s next: The PSC hearing and any ruling will determine the program’s final terms and costs; after that the council could choose to adopt a participation ordinance in spring 2026. For more information the presenter directed residents to utahrenewablecommunities.org and the program’s public materials.