Most people in Idaho know me as a Republican, but Gov. Otter's recent op-ed against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 infuriated me. His comments show his lack of interest in really understanding energy issues in Idaho and what the new energy economy can mean for Idaho. Idaho Power residential rates will have risen by 46 percent since 2006 if the current 11.4 percent rate increase goes through the PUC.
Burying our heads in the sand will not keep rates from continuing to rise. Ratepayers paid over $90 million this year in power cost adjustments, which are what Idaho Power had to pay more than it had budgeted for natural gas supplies on the open market. Nine out of the last 10 years have been low water years for hydro. The West is predicted to get hotter and drier and 'low water' years are looking like the new norm. The revenue from the Waxman-Markey legislation will raise revenues from carbon taxes.
The legislation creates a new revenue stream for technology research and development that starts out at roughly $2 billion in 2010 and doubles by 2025. Idaho and INL could receive part of this stream of research dollars and seize the opportunity of good jobs and rural economic development in the new energy economy. But not if our legislative team dogmatically gets on the opposing side.
Finally, the one thing that all Idahoans can agree about is that we value our clean air and blue skies. But 53 percent of Idaho Power's company-owned generation is from coal plants. Our historically low electric rates have been partially because other states have polluted their skies for our benefit. Do you really think other states will continue to like bearing this burden so that we can have cheap coal power?
Kiki Tidwell
Ketchum
