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SALT LAKE CITY -- Rocky Mountain Power says Gov. Gary Herbert's veto of a bill that allowed the company to enroll all its customers in a summer energy conservation program will eventually cost Utahns more money.
Under SB47, Rocky Mountain Power customers would have been automatically enrolled in what is known as the Cool Keeper program, which allows the company to regulate air conditioners during the hottest hours and days of the summer months. People would have to opt out of the plan.
Gov. Herbert, in a letter to legislative leaders Tuesday, essentially equated the measure to bad public policy.
"While I applaud the aims of the bill and encourage all Utahns to examine their energy use and take steps to conserve where possible, I believe this bill is adverse to good public policy in the state of Utah," Herbert said.
Herbert in the statement announced he enrolled his Orem home in the existing Cool Keeper program.
"We appreciate the governor's support of the present, voluntary Cool Keeper program," Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Dave Eskelsen told KSL Newsradio in a phone interview Wednesday morning. "We think the legislation was in the public interest, but, again, we implement the policy the state directs."
Eskelsen said the company would look toward other options.
"We'll probably do some ‘flexible generation' to handle the system peak," Eskelsen said. "It'll probably be more expensive."
Eskelsen emphasized there would be no immediate changes in cost, but acknowledged prices would probably go up over time.
"Load management is critical to meeting customers' demand for electricity during peak demand times, as will keeping Utah's prices among the lowest in the nation," Herbert said in the letter to legislative leaders.
"However, I believe the people of Utah will be better served by continued educational campaigns about the importance of energy conservation and efforts to increase voluntary participation in programs such as Rocky Mountain Power's Cool Keeper than they are by mandating participation with an opportunity to opt out," he continued.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
