Newly Created Community Renewable Energy Agency Achieves Milestones by slcgreen on July 22, 2021 Newly Created Community Renewable Energy Agency Achieves Milestones July 22, 2021 SALT LAKE CITY — Two significant milestones were achieved this month as Utah seeks to transition its electricity mix to cleaner sources and move some cities toward net-100% renewable energy. Fourteen local governments have now joined the Community Renewable Energy Agency, a brand-new cooperative agency formed under state law in 2019 to achieve net-100% renewable electricity on behalf of participating communities. “We’re transforming the future to 100% clean electricity with the Community Renewable Energy Program,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “And we’re working in partnership not only with Rocky Mountain Power, but with a group of dedicated local governments to make it happen. I’m thrilled with the achievement of the creation of the agency and look forward to working with our partners to develop significant new renewable energy resources for our state.” Also this month, the agency’s board held its first regular meeting. The board plans to hire expert consultants, establish working committees, and meet monthly to support the development of a new Community Renewable Energy Program with Utah’s largest electric utility, Rocky Mountain Power. The formation of the new agency is the result of a monthslong collaboration among staff and elected officials from a handful of eligible communities that passed resolutions in 2019 stating their intention to support net-100% renewable electricity by 2030, thereby making them eligible to participate in the next phases of the Community Renewable Energy Program. This program was enabled by state legislation HB 411. This year, the group devised and finalized a “governance agreement” as required by state law that establishes a decision-making system and a cost-sharing formula that assigns a larger share of the expected implementation cost to larger communities and a smaller share to smaller ones. Fourteen of the 23 eligible communities have so far signed the governance agreement, marking their commitment to move forward with the next phases of program implementation. There is a deadline of Jan. 31, 2022, for the remaining nine eligible communities to join. “Our hot, dry summer and record drought are reminders of the need for progress on renewable energy,” said Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor of Millcreek “Millcreek is proud to be among a group of proactive communities collaborating to make a difference on renewables for our future energy needs in a responsible, cost-effective way.” “Summit County is thrilled to collaborate with local governments across the state to bring net-100% renewable energy to our communities,” said Glenn Wright, Summit County Council Chair. “The Utah Community Renewable Energy Agency represents the culmination of years of innovative problem solving and hard work. We are committed to working with the public, Rocky Mountain Power, state regulators and representatives from each community on the Community Renewable Energy Agency Board towards a vision of affordable, large-scale, and accessible renewable energy.” Over the next year, participating communities will work together to design the program in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Power. Playing a role in that process was the intention behind Ogden’s City Council vote July 13 to adopt the governance agreement. “Having a seat at the table as the design of the renewable energy program gets underway was a critical decision point for the Ogden City Council,” Vice Chair Marcia White said. “We hope with the partnership from the Weber State University’s Energy and Sustainability Office, the resulting program will be the right fit for Ogden residents.” The participating communities, through the Community Renewable Energy Agency, aim to jointly submit a program application with Rocky Mountain Power to state regulators this coming winter or spring. If approved by the Utah Public Service Commission, the program will provide a new default net-100% renewable electricity option for all residents and businesses located in participating communities. Before a new program begins, eligible communities will need to pass an ordinance to finalize their participation and all customers in participating communities will be given the choice to opt out, either two months before the program begins, or within three billing cycles after. For more information, visit: https://www.utah100communities.org/ https://www.slc.gov/sustainability/100-renewable-energy-community-goal/ Share this: TwitterFacebook Loading... TAGS: COMMUNITY RENEWABLE ENERGY, COMMUNITY RENEWABLE ENERGY ACT, COMMUNITY RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, HB411, NET-100% RENEWABLE ENERGY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, UTAH, UTAH 100 COMMUNITIES, UTAH RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM: 2021, RENEWABLE ENERGY, SALT LAKE CITY ← Help SLC Stay Cool this Summer Salt Lake City Announces Enhancements to Call 2 Haul Bulk Waste Collection Program → No comments yet Leave a Reply Welcome Welcome to the Green Blog! The SLCgreen crew is excited to share the latest green news, tips, events and information with you. For more on Salt Lake City’s Department of Sustainability, visit SLCgreen.com and join the SLCgreen Sustainability Email List!. Search the Green Blog Categories 2016 (36) 2017 (79) 2018 (71) 2019 (67) 2020 (45) 2021 (40) Advocacy (12) air pollution (64) Air Quality (158) bicycle (9) Business Tools (57) Climate Change (149) commute (11) e-waste (4) Earth Day (12) Emergency Response (7) Energy Efficiency (45) Environmental Toxins (7) General Sustainability (183) Green Spaces (67) Green Transportation (96) holiday (11) Living Green (152) Pesticide Free (22) Recycling & Waste (132) Renewable Energy (60) salt lake city (179) Smart Energy (48) solar (19) Sustainable Food (131) Sustainable SLC Plan 2015 (5) transportation (34) Uncategorized (2) Urban Greens Market (6) Water Resources (24) Tags #whywasteit? 2014 air air pollution air quality becker bike business city clean air clean energy clear the air challenge climate climate change Climate Positive SLC community community garden compost e2 business electric vehicles energy energy efficiency environment EV food food access green health inversion local food mayor becker mayor ralph becker pollution recycle recycling Reduce Reuse Recycle renewable energy rocky mountain power salt lake salt lake city slc slcgreen solar sustainability sustainable sustainable food transit transportation urban farming uta utah utah clean energy walk wasatch community gardens waste water Instagram Twitter My Tweets Facebook Blog at WordPress.com. Follow