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State regulators have set a deadline for parties seeking to intervene in a case involving the proposed sale of Eagle Water Company to Suez Water Idaho. The proposal, which requires the approval of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, calls for a purchase price of $10 million as well as significant rate increases for the approximately 4,200 customers of Eagle Water

As the California wildfires reach containment, we must focus on the devastation of so much property and the tragic loss of so many lives. My prayers go out to those victims and their families, now irrevocably changed.

The Idaho Department of Finance has filed a civil lawsuit in Ada County’s Fourth District Court against Nathan Ward Pyles (“Pyles”) and his company Shiloh Management Services, Inc. The suit alleges that the Defendants violated registration and anti-fraud provisions of the Idaho Uniform Securities Act

U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today announced that the Western Governors’ Association, a bipartisan group of 19 governors from Western states and 3 governors from Western U.S. territories, has endorsed the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by the Senators earlier this year, seeks to protect America’s electric grid from cyber-attacks. The WGA expressed their support in a letter earlier this month to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on Energy.

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Dr. John Rusche, a former minority leader in the Idaho House of Representatives, to fill the unexpired term of Charles “Chuck” Cuddy of Orofino on the Idaho Water Resource Board.

During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on cybersecurity, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) highlighted the Idaho National Lab's (INL) ongoing efforts to deter cyber threats against the United States. Risch also questioned Andrew Bochman, INL's Senior Cyber and Energy Security Strategist, about ways to better protect our grid and other critical control systems

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Chris Jensen, manager of the State Division of Building Safety’s Region 3, to succeed Kelly Pearce as the agency’s administrator

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.

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.