Idaho incentivizes ‘renewable energy.’ It should focus instead on ‘clean energy’ | Opinion
Winters in Idaho underscore the important role energy plays in our lives. Imagine how difficult it would be to heat our homes and care for our families without access to reliable and affordable energy.
Energy improves lives. It allows us to live longer, live better and realize our full potential.
How we produce energy has changed over the centuries. We first burned wood to cook food and warm our homes. Next, the Industrial Revolution was fueled by coal, ushering in an era of improved life expectancy and economic mobility.
Today, we are experiencing another shift in how best to generate the growing energy demands of our modern economy. We are witnessing the increasingly complex interplay between energy production, our environment and national security.
This new era for energy creates abundant opportunities for smart, forward-thinking public policy. But words matter and, in some states — Idaho included — laws written to include the term “renewable” now do so at the expense of “clean.”
In 2005, the Idaho Energy Resources Act (IERA) was passed to allow small power providers to issue bonds for “renewable energy generation projects” including water/hydro, geothermal, wind, solar and biogas. All of these are environmentally friendly and add to the diversity of our energy marketplace. But the call only for renewables limits us. Clean sources include not only renewables but also other energy sources, including nuclear power, which currently generates over half the nation’s zero-carbon-emitting electricity.
Right now, Idaho National Laboratory is working with industry to demonstrate advanced nuclear technologies that will help modernize the U.S. power grid and ensure a clean future for Idaho, our nation, and the planet.
This is why Gov. Little’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission recommended the Idaho Legislature amend the IERA to allow power providers across the state to bond for “clean energy” — not just renewable projects.
House Bill 96 accomplishes just that. The bill has broad support and is co-sponsored by three eastern Idaho legislators: Reps. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, and Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, as well as Sen. Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs.
The act would still allow small Idaho utilities to bond for all the projects covered by the current renewable standard. It would also expand the list to include nuclear, hydrogen production, energy/battery storage and other non-carbon-emitting resources.
Power producers across Idaho will continue to make decisions that best serve their ratepayers. Shifting from “renewable” to “clean” simply gives utilities more choices and opportunities to access clean energy.
Broadening these definitions also sends a strong signal that Idaho supports the vital clean energy research and development being conducted at INL and other U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories. This includes microreactor demonstrations scheduled for the near future, hydrogen production projects now under development in partnership with the private sector, and the small modular nuclear reactor to be located at INL and slated to begin commercial power production in 2030.
To compete effectively, Idaho must be strategic and decisive in this new energy transition, especially as energy demands increase at a global scale. We’ll need that energy to be clean, affordable, reliable, and resilient. Embracing clean energy opens the door for more innovation.
Passage of House Bill 96 allows us to keep our sights set on Idaho’s bright future simply by giving ourselves more of the right tools with which to build that future.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 4:00 AM.