Castle Valley adopts Community Clean Energy ordinance after presentation and debate

Glade Sowers, senior energy and climate program manager for Salt Lake City and member of the Utah Renewable Communities (URC) program-design committee, presented the Community Clean Energy program to the Castle Valley Town Council on May 20, explaining that the Utah Public Service Commission approved the program March 4 and that member municipalities have until June 2 to adopt a model ordinance.

Sowers told the council the program would leave Rocky Mountain Power as the utility but allow the interlocal to acquire new clean energy to match participating customers’ usage. He said customers who remain in the program would be charged $4 per month (about $3.88 to cover the new resource and administrative costs, plus a $0.12 monthly surcharge to fund free participation for qualifying low-income households). Sowers said Rocky Mountain Power will provide customer notices starting Nov. 1 and automatic enrollment would begin about Jan. 1, with a 60-day opt-out window and a $30 residential termination fee after a subsequent four-month grace period.