BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho Power is asking for permission from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to put customers who use solar energy into a different rate-paying class. Clean energy advocates say this is the first step toward charging solar customers more.

The company says net metering solar customers, who are compensated for any surplus power they generate and feed back into the grid, aren't paying their fair share of fixed costs. But Zack Waterman, director of the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club, said Idaho Power is singling out residents with solar panels.

"Solar has been growing fast in Idaho, but we think that the company's scrambling to adjust this fixed-cost issue is more of a solution in search of problem than one that is a significant problem right now,” Waterman said.

About 1,400 Idahoans are enrolled in the company's net-metering program. Waterman said these customers account for 0.02 percent of the company's entire peak demand.

Idaho Power wants to put solar users in their own class starting at the beginning of 2018.

Waterman said the cost shifting Idaho Power is concerned about can be found in other areas the company is not targeting. For instance, energy efficient homes pay the same fixed cost that homes that are much less efficient pay.

He said the move could hurt the state's solar industry.

"To throw solar customers in their own rate class and focus exclusively on this relatively super small amount of cost shifting within the customer class is a move to discourage solar,” Waterman said.

Solar has been on the rise in Idaho. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the sun powers 45,000 homes in Idaho, although not all of them are through rooftop panels.


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Next week, North Dakota landowners will get a chance to hear updates on a proposed underground pipeline for transporting and sequestering carbon dioxide. The meeting comes as tension builds between landowners and the company behind the project.

Dakota Resource Council is hosting next Tuesday's meeting, and said it wants affected property owners to learn about the latest efforts by Summit Carbon Solutions to secure land for its multistate pipeline.

The company recently submitted paperwork in North Dakota to pursue eminent domain if it cannot obtain enough voluntary easements.

Eliot Huggins, field organizer for the Council, said Summit is placing unnecessary pressure on those not agreeing to contracts.

"Harassing, threats of eminent domain, things like that," Huggins outlined. "There's folks at the beginning who might have been open to this who are now pretty opposed, and that's largely just due to their interactions with the company."

Summit insists "misinformation" is being used by opponents and said it will continue to work with local leaders and landowners to address concerns. Tuesday's meeting will be held in Bismarck at the Veterans Memorial Library and begins at 6 p.m. For those who cannot be there in person, they can request a Zoom link from the group to participate online.

The Council also urged those concerned to sign up for the grassroots North Dakota Easement Team, which is designed to fight Summit's efforts collectively, including potential legal options, while informing people of their rights.

Brian Jorde, managing partner of Domina Law Group, which is part of the legal team, said the group approach can be more effective than a person taking action on their own.

"You can be as noisy as you want on your own and good luck to you," Jorde noted. "But unless you're part of a larger group, you can't hope to even make a dent or resist these billion-dollar-backed entities."

Similar groups have been formed in other Midwestern states in the proposed project's footprint. Summit wants to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and move it through multiple states before storing it underground in North Dakota. The plan is touted as a solution in reducing harmful emissions.

Groups such as the Resource Council said while they are not opposed to the concept of carbon sequestration, they argued a large-scale approach presents too many challenges.

By 2030, Minnesota wants 20% of all light-duty vehicles on its roads to be electric. But a lot of charging stations are needed to help achieve that goal, and clean-energy advocates say there's positive movement in that direction.

Supporters of electric vehicles, or EV's, point to Xcel Energy's new proposal, which involves adding 750 high-speed charging stations, as a big step in building up the region's capacity.

Along with commitments from other utilities there's also $68 million from the federal infrastructure law to help add locations. M.K. Anderson, senior policy associate for energy transition for Fresh Energy, said these are all important steps.

"So," said Anderson, "if all of this happens, our state will be just incredibly equipped for the EV revolution that is coming."

Xcel's plan, which still needs to be considered by regulators, includes figuring out locations in rural areas where charging stations are harder to come by.

The utility estimates roughly 8,000 public fast-charging ports are needed statewide as Minnesota prepares for the market shift toward EV's. Xcel's plan does call on ratepayers to help cover construction costs.

Right now, less than 1% of vehicle registrations in Minnesota are EV's.

Tim Sexton, chief sustainability officer and assistant commissioner for sustainability and public health with the state Department of Transportation, said boosting infrastructure will play a big role in convincing more car-buyers to change their approach.

"I think it's really important that people see those chargers out there," said Sexton, "you know, to help them think about opportunities for EVs."

As the state bolsters this infrastructure, Sexton said they're trying to be mindful of how people use these vehicles, depending on their location.

"In the Twin Cities metro," said Sexton, "a lot of people, you know, may only be driving 20 miles a day and may have access to charging at work and they don't need, necessarily, the same kind of public chargers - or at least not as frequently - as people who live in rural communities because they need to travel further."

Iowa is seen as a leader in renewable energy for sources like wind power, but tension is building in how to site such projects.

The rapid growth of wind and solar has led to policy debates at the state level on whether to add regulations, as some landowners and farm groups fight certain plans.

A new guide aims to give local officials a better grasp of proposals coming their way.

Lindsay Mouw, policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, said the group's guide is an alternative to state-level decision-making, informing local leaders about project elements they might not be familiar with, as they balance the needs of surrounding areas they know a lot about.

"Local decision-makers know the community and geography best," Mouw pointed out. "And are best equipped to make those decisions and listen to the concerns of their community members."

She argued providing more clarity is crucial as utilities, municipalities and other entities lay out clean-energy goals and look to build more grid capacity for renewables. With more policy debates expected at the State Capitol, the Center hopes its voluntary guide gets a strong look and is widely shared.

Local governments in Iowa have long had the final say on these projects. Mouw noted a similar effort in Indiana allows counties to be designated as primary development spots, if they so choose. She added adopting a "siting matrix" in Iowa could help keep local control, and open the door to broader engagement with the public.

"Community members are well aware of what a developer is required to meet or consider," Mouw explained. "And they will know that their local decision-makers are equipped with all of the information needed to make those decisions responsibly."

She emphasized the siting tool, already used for livestock projects in Iowa and Nebraska, can also help dispel misinformation about renewable energy development. Over the years, local opponents have raised concerns ranging from the loss of farmland to noise generated by wind turbines.

While it waits for the state to consider sharing the guide with counties across Iowa, the Center said local governments are free to use it as a template.