This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am writing to protest SB208, which would charge alternative energy producers for using Rocky Mountain Power's net metering. We have solar panels that produce energy during the day when it is more expensive. We then use the cheaper night-time energy.
Rocky Mountain Power is profiting from our solar energy and we are paying all the surcharges already — so why add an additional monthly fee?
We also pay into Rocky Mountain Power's monthly Blue Sky Program, which is supposed to promote renewable energy development. SB208 appears to be in direct contradiction to this program. So what gives?
If Rocky Mountain Power really wanted to help the poor pay their utility bills, they shouldn't be charging people who are doing their best to save energy. They should charge the larger energy consumers. They also should actively help the poor upgrade their homes so that they won't need to use as much energy.
Utah and Rocky Mountain Power should be promoting alternative energy sources and conservation because that is the future. Or was SB208 created to discourage renewable energy production and conservation in order to justify building a new coal-fired power plant?
Melanie Florence
Ivins