HB 3274A Increases small-scale renewable energy requirements

This bill subjects public utilities to projects that cannot exist on their own with very little generation of power and expensive, which encourages utilities to stay small. Penalizes companies that don’t do renewable projects, whether they pencil out or not. (includes HB 2857)

Personal Choice and Responsibility
Includes problematic provisions that exacerbate well-known problems with PURPA that are forcing the customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to pay tens of millions of dollars more than competitively procured renewable energy would cost, leading to unnecessary rate increases.

Fiscal Responsibility
Subjects existing public utilities to projects that cannot exist on their own and have very little generation of power, are very expensive to operate, and makes them liable for damages if anybody sues them. will cause electricity cost to climb, but the price is fixed by a commission. In addition, these bills change agreed upon provisions in the Renewable Portfolio Standard.

Limited Government
Requires 8% of electricity sold in this state by each electric company that makes sales to 25,000 or more retail electricity consumers to be generated by small-scale renewable energy facilities or certain biomass facilities. Increases, to 100 average megawatts of electricity per year, amount of electricity generated by certified low-impact hydroelectric facilities that may be used to comply with renewable portfolio standards. Allows renewable energy certificates issued at any time for electricity generated by certified low-impact hydroelectric facility to be banked and carried forward indefinitely. Establishes, for purposes of public utilities that provide electric power to consumers in this state, additional standards for purchase of energy or energy and capacity from qualifying facilities. Allows person injured by certain violations by public utility related to purchase and sale of energy or energy and capacity to recover damages from public utility.

Free Markets
Pure government bureaucracy on the backs of companies. This is sure to increase the cost of electricity. Changes the current community renewable standard from 8% of electrical capacity standard to an 8% of electricity sold standard to be consistent with the Renewable Portfolio Standard.