The Idaho Legislature’s Interim Committee on Energy, Environment, and Technology is still accepting public comments on the draft 2012 Idaho Energy Plan and revising it in preparation for its consideration by the Legislature during the 2012 Session.
Don’t miss this opportunity to tell the Interim Committee what you want to see in Idaho’s energy picture! The Snake River Alliance has drafted four comment templates that you can customize to make it easy for you to submit your thoughts. Just click on this link, edit the letter, and press “Send”! The public comment deadline has been extended for a second time to this Friday, November 18, so you still have time!
The Snake River Alliance played a role in crafting the 2007 Energy Plan, and has spent the last five years advocating for implementation of key energy efficiency and renewable energy recommendations in that Plan. But, as outlined in our Clean Energy Program Director Ken Miller’s Idaho Energy Plan Review report, many of the recommendations have yet to be acted upon. The Alliance has already submitted extensive comments to the Interim Energy Committee on the 2012 Energy Plan draft, urging the Committee to retain important clean energy recommendations and add others that would further benefit the state.
We don’t know yet what the Committee members will do or what the final Plan will look like. Oral testimony was taken on November 2, and the Committee heard from groups such as AARP, the Idaho Conservation League, Community Transportation Association of Idaho, and other energy professionals. The Snake River Alliance testified about the source of the 2012 draft Plan and urged that energy efficiency be maintained as the “highest priority” resource for Idaho, clean energy incentive language in the Plan be retained, and the development of customer-owned renewable generation continue to be encouraged, among other recommendations. The Alliance also offered corrections to better balance the section of the Plan on nuclear power. On November 3, the Committee sat down to begin to agree on the exact policy and action item recommendations in the 2012 Plan, working from the latest draft provided by the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance (ISEA) Board, the previous draft provided by the ISEA Task Forces, and the original 2007 Idaho Energy Plan. No final decisions were made, but the Committee was able to review around half the recommendations in the Plan and will pick up the other half at its next meeting.
The Interim Energy Committee meets again next Monday and Tuesday (Nov 21 and 22) from 9am to 5pm each day in the Statehouse in Room EW42. The next revision of this Plan isn’t expected for another five years, so it’s important that the Committee do a complete and thorough job right now laying out a Plan that provides smart and sound policy recommendations to guide Idaho’s energy future. The Snake River Alliance will continue to monitor this process and do our very best to make the voices of our members and clean energy advocates across Idaho heard!
Do your part today!