Yearly Archives: 2016

Idaho Power Company is asking state regulators to weigh in on a dispute between the utility and the developer of four 20-MW solar projects proposed to be built in southern Twin Falls County near the Nevada border.

Parties to a case regarding Idaho Power Company’s application to build a 500-kilowatt community solar project are proposing a settlement to state regulators. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is taking comment on the proposal through October 18. The $1.16 million single-axis solar project, proposed for the southwest corner of Amity and Holcomb roads in southeast Boise, would allow up to 1,093 residential customers and 470 nonresidential customers to buy one or more subscriptions (one subscription is a 320-watt panel) for the 25-year life of the proposed project

U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) recently joined 41 Senate Republicans in writing to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew encouraging the Treasury Department to abandon proposed regulations that would significantly increase the estate tax burden on family farms and businesses. The proposed regulations, if finalized, would contradict long-standing legal precedent and greatly discourage families from continuing to operate and grow their farms and businesses for eventual transfer to future generations.

State regulators have approved the $35.2 million spent by Idaho Power Company on energy efficiency and demand-response programs during 2015 as prudently incurred. The purpose of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission’s annual review is to ensure the programs are cost-effective, meaning customers would be paying more for energy without the programs in place. The commission’s declaration that the $35.2 expended during 2015 was prudently incurred does not impact customer rates.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will take comment through September 6 on an Idaho Power Company application to build a community solar array southeast of Boise. Idaho Power is proposing to build a 500-kilowatt community solar project, allowing up to 1,093 residential customers and 470 non-residential customers to buy one or more $740 subscriptions (one subscription would be the equivalent of a 320-watt panel) for the 25-year life of the proposed project

After two and a half months on the road, Congressman Mike Simpson will celebrate the success of the Idaho STEP Challenge by holding a team walk in Boise this evening. In partnership with the Saint Alphonsus Health System, Simpson will participate alongside dozens of Meet Me Monday athletes for a walk around downtown Boise. Beginning at 5:15 p.m., the free event will start at Bandanna Running and Walking, located at the intersection of 5th and Main Street. The event is open to the public.

New solar developers will be paying significantly less to integrate their generation into Idaho Power Company’s transmission and distribution system under new integration rates approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission this week.

Ten REALTORS® and lenders in the Idaho Falls area are being recognized for their work connecting homebuyers with the affordable home loan programs offered through Idaho Housing and Finance Association. In the past year, REALTORS® and lenders in the area have teamed up with Idaho Housing to help nearly 1,100 homebuyers purchase their first homes, representing a $119 million investment in the community.

Residents in 23 Idaho counties can estimate their 2016 property taxes by visiting the Idaho State Tax Commission’s website at tax.idaho.gov. The “Quick Picks” section on the home page links to a calculator that allows taxpayers to estimate what they will owe.

Rates for Idaho Power Company customers will increase by about 3.77 percent June 1. Rates go up or down every June 1 as part of the company’s annual Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) and Fixed Cost Adjustment (FCA).

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, is cosponsoring a bipartisan measure reforming the federal civil asset forfeiture process. H.R. 5283 would boost transparency, accountability and oversight of seizures and forfeitures by law enforcement agencies.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has suspended for a third time a request by Eagle Water Company to implement a surcharge on customers’ water use. On Nov. 10, 2015, Eagle Water, which serves about 3,500 customers in and around the City of Eagle, asked the commission to approve a surcharge that would add about $3.64 to the average residential user’s monthly bill.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today joined Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) to introduce the Timber Innovation Act – bipartisan legislation that would help accelerate research and development – and ultimately construction – of wood buildings in the United States. Specifically, this legislation would focus on finding innovative ways to use wood in the construction of buildings above 85 feet in height or roughly seven or more stories.

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today announced that the Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill reverses proposed cuts to Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, and cleanup activities in Idaho. Simpson is Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which passed the bill through the full House Appropriations Committee today, and had the lead role in deciding funding for all Department of Energy programs.

Nationally recognized author and community development strategist Peter Kageyama will be speaking at a Twin Falls luncheon for the Magic Valley business community June 9. The event, hosted by Idaho Housing and Finance Association, is entitled Creating Quality Places Where People Want to Live, Work and Play, and will be held at the Canyon Crest Event Center at 330 Canyon Crest Dr. in Twin Falls from noon to 1:30 p.m.