County staff outlines CREA utility-agreement status and proposes delegated signing

Summit County staff delivered an update on the Community Renewable Energy Agency (CREA) program and the draft utility agreement on March 8, explaining where the county stands in the multijurisdictional effort to increase access to renewable energy. Emily Quinn, who represents the county on CREA and identified herself as the agency secretary, said the county has met earlier eligibility steps and that the current task is to finalize the utility agreement that lets the county be included in the program application filed by Rocky Mountain Power with the Utah Public Service Commission.

Quinn outlined four required elements under the statute and rules: reimbursement of state consultant costs, reimbursement for two customer mail notices that participating communities must pay for, a description of how any unpaid termination fees would be handled (an unresolved point with Rocky Mountain Power), and a provision addressing any "replaced assets" (the county is not currently contemplating identifying replaced assets). She said the draft remains a confidential, in-progress document that CREA counsel and Rocky Mountain Power continue to negotiate.

Quinn recommended a process for execution that would rely on county management and staff reviewers: when the final agreement is ready, the county manager (Shane) could execute it on the county's behalf without a separate, full-council action, using counsel review and the expertise of council-appointed reviewers. Several council members said they were generally comfortable but requested a concise term-sheet or a closed-session outline in advance so they could review key business terms if they wished. Quinn agreed to arrange a closed-session summary and to circulate a draft outline of material terms before final execution.

Quinn also described the program's accounting approach: CREA expects some portion of program goals to be met by existing renewable resources on the Rocky Mountain Power system and the remainder by new, program-dedicated resources; that split (roughly 58% existing/42% new in CREA materials) informs cost design. Council members asked clarifying questions about the timing of Public Service Commission review, the costs that would flow through customer bills, and whether termination fees would be imposed after the initial 60-day opt-out period. Quinn said staff is pushing to have the utility agreement completed by the end of the month and will coordinate a closed-session review and a public summary before any final local action on an ordinance that would adopt the program locally.