Update on Idaho’s Energy Plan

The Interim Energy, Environment and Technology Committee has enlisted the help of the Governor’s Office of Energy Resources, and specifically the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance to assist with revising the 2007 Idaho Energy Plan to recommend changes to bring it current with present day energy issues.

The Plan is a comprehensive investigation of all of Idaho’s energy systems, with recommendations to help develop policy ensuring a reliable, low-cost energy supply, protecting the environment and promoting economic growth.

The body of the review document will include suggested policy actions, outline what has and has not worked, and what needs to be changed structurally, but the focus of the Alliance is not to provide specific tactical actions, which will be up to the interim committee. The draft will be available for public comment on the Alliance's website on October 17: http://www.energy.idaho.gov/energyalliance/.

With the final review almost complete, pending public input and vetting by the interim committee, the good news, says Dr. Aumeier, of the ISEA's board of directors, is Idaho's progress on conservation and energy efficiency as resources.

A few points from the ISEA’s report:
- Idaho ranks 26th in terms of energy efficiency, a fact which carries significant economic benefit.
- The task of educating an energy workforce is important, and also an important part of the Governor's Project 60 Plan.
- There has been tremendous growth in renewable sources of energy, especially wind. A section on “Lessons Learned,” will reflect that the innovation in renewables has real benefits as well as negatives in terms of accommodating the intermittent nature of the same. Whether to integrate more renewable energy will depend upon public sentiment on the costs and benefits and how they're weighted in our stakeholder groups. It's good to see people get engaged.
- Technology advances are offering approaches in conservation and use. It's important to keep a close eye on technology advances. Things are moving so fast, that options and costs are changing in real time.

Examples of technology improvements include improved drilling techniques are opening up opportunities in Idaho. These bring up questions regarding implications in regulation and structure. We’ve seen similar questions begin to pop up in expansion in renewable markets.

These technology improvements and the questions they raise are also impacting costs, since the last energy plan was drafted, the energy reserves that have been uncovered in our region are massive. They are also fundamentally changing energy options and choices, and Dr. Aumeier says the public needs to be kept up to date with the costs and benefits associated with each.

"We need to enable people to make the best possible decisions... what we know is there is no free lunch when it comes to energy production."

Ken Miller, clean energy director for Snake River Alliance offered a less rosy update from the perspective of his organization’s review of the Energy Plan. His organization has reviewed 34 of the 44 2007 plan recommendations they reviewed, finding:
- 17 were incomplete or showed no progress.
- 10 partially implemented.
- 7 implemented or mostly so.

Miller noted that the lack of progress is not one entity's responsibility and that of those unimplemented items, most are energy efficiency related. He stressed efficiency as a priority resource going forward, followed by the development of renewables and cleanest conventional resources.

In particular, Miller noted that the 2007 plan avoided climate recommendations. He stressed that regardless of political views of the committee, the 2012 plan must consider implications of climate issues.

“The federal government and surrounding states are defining the carbon issue for Idaho,” he said. “Bonneville Power, Idaho electric utilities are already planning for carbon constraints that will affect their resources decisions.”

Miller encouraged the ISEA to resist general or “easy-lifting” recommendations in the updated plan, and to avoid scrubbing element of the 2007 plan such as tax incentives simply due to budget constraints.