Hearings tomorrow
Just a quick update to let everyone know that seven of the bills we are tracking are in committee hearings tomorrow. Take a look at the 2023 legislative tracker for all the details.
These are great opportunities to contact your legislators (if they are on the committee) or to testify as a member of the public.
You can look up your district and contact information for your legislators here.
SB211 - Net Metering Energy Amendments (Harper)
This bill will be heard at 8:00 am in the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee. Committee members are Senators Harper, Adams, Anderegg, Ipson, Kwan, Millner, and Riebe.
The bill requires electrical corporations to make a net metering program available to customers, and it restores full net-metering credits at the prevailing retail rate.Many of the environmental groups are barred from supporting this bill by the settlement that produced the current net-metering agreement. We are not barred, and it would be great if some of you want to testify in support.
HB301 - Transportation Tax Amendments (Schultz) - oppose
This bill will be heard at 4:00 pm in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. Committee members are Senators McCay, Bramble, Cullimore, Escamilla, Fillmore, Harper, Ipson, and C. Wilson.
This bill creates a new 12.5% tax for electric vehicle charging at public charging stations and reduces the gas tax by 2 cents a gallon. EV drivers already contribute to road funding through an extra registration fee. Under this bill, EV drivers who can charge at home would see little change, but renters and apartment owners who have to use public chargers would end up paying about twice as much as drivers of gasoline cars.
Tracy Harden testified against the bill in the House committee. Well done, Tracy! You can listen to her testimony here.
SB249 - Electric Energy Storage Amendments (Blouin)
Same hearing as above at 4:00pm in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
The bill creates a tax credit for commercial entities to install energy storage systems in the state. The credit is 30% of costs for utilities, capped at $300,000 - and 10% for non utilities, capped at $100,000.
HB425 - Energy Security Amendments (Ivory) - oppose
This bill will be heard at 9:00 am in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Commitee members are Senators Winterton, Blouin, Buxton, Grover, Owens, Pitcher, Sandall, and Vickers.
The bill changes state energy policy to promote dispatchable power generation and in-state energy supplies.An amendment was added to require Intermountain Power to get approval before converting their coal power plant to gas or hydrogen.