In a 3-2 vote, the Coalville City Council decided to leave the Community Clean Energy Program Tuesday.
The town’s mining heritage didn’t drive the decision so much as concerns over program design.
If Coalville had joined, all Rocky Mountain Power customers in city limits would have been automatically enrolled. Individual customers would be responsible for opting out.
That would add $4 to residential customers’ monthly energy bills, and an estimated 5% to businesses' bills. Utah law requires the money to fund large-scale clean energy infrastructure.
Jeff Peterson was one of the three councilmembers who voted against joining. He and constituents he spoke with didn’t like the opt-out structure.
Peterson was also concerned about how state utilities regulators might adjust rates in the future.
“It could go down — it could go up — but they can't give us a definitive yes or no,” Peterson said.
Councilmember Matthew Boyer also expressed concerns about the opt-out structure. Proponents of the program say it’s needed to raise enough money to build new energy sources on a large scale.
“I've studied enough behavioral economics and game theory to understand that I know why they're doing it this way,” Boyer said. “I don't necessarily agree with it.”
But Boyer did vote for the program after Councilmember Brandon Brady recommended an intensive public information campaign.
Councilmember Shaun Powis, who formerly worked for Sinclair Oil Corporation, was the second “no” vote. During a previous discussion, he wanted to know where the “so-called clean energy” would be built.
Program architects say there’s a shortlist of four projects currently protected under a non-disclosure agreement. But they would need to be within Rocky Mountain Power's service area.
Lynn Wood broke the tie at the May 26 meeting, having expressed similar concerns to Peterson.
“It does feel like an additional tax,” she said.
Coalville is now one of three cities to vote to leave the Community Clean Energy Program.
The Utah Legislature created the initiative in 2019 so the state could work with Rocky Mountain Power to tap sources such as solar, wind, nuclear or geothermal.
State utility regulators finally gave it the go-ahead in March, and 19 cities and counties have until Tuesday, June 2, to decide to join.
In addition to Coalville, Kearns and Cottonwood Heights have decided against it. Unincorporated Summit County, Park City, Francis and Oakley said yes.
Midvale city leaders are scheduled to vote next Tuesday.
According to Summit County Sustainability Director Emily Quinton, Kearns may hold a special city council meeting to reconsider its vote.
State lawmakers initially required the program to offset 100% of the energy demand in participating Utah cities and counties, but has since softened that requirement.
