electricity

Wyoming is the latest state to let electric companies off the hook if they create a wildfire mitigation plan. But homeowners can still sue if utilities fail to follow those plans.

Gov. Mark Gordon signed another eight bills as the Legislature wrapped up this year’s general session. He has 15 days to act on whatever remains on his desk.

Cintia Moore, a Nevada Assembly member, wants to model regulations passed in Arizona. Her proposal would prevent utility companies from shutting off power between May and October and require them to offer payment plans to those who fall behind on their utility bills.

There are a lot of energy-related bills in this year’s Wyoming legislative session. Two have received a lot of public outcry recently. One would roll back electricity sales tax, which could cripple small towns, as it’s a revenue they depend on. Another would likely make it more expensive to have rooftop solar. Opponents say it’d remove most of the incentives to use the technology. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan and WyoFile’s Dustin Bleizeffer break the proposals down.

Many people hesitate to get electric cars because of concerns over being able to charge them, and many people don’t have the means to have home chargers. Federal funding aims to put chargers in places that are more accessible to lower-income and underserved communities.

Wyoming could be the second state to pass a law limiting utilities liability — if they agree to help mitigate fires.

The parent company Rocky Mountain Power is asking the U.S. District Court to overturn the Wyoming Public Service Commissioners’ decision in January to only approve a part of the company’s proposed electricity rate increases. The commission rejected part of the increase that would have helped pay for things like higher fuel costs to the company and rising insurance costs partly due to wildfires linked to their infrastructure.

More than 10 million U.S. homes sit within three miles of a solar farm. A new national survey looks into how people feel about having these large renewable energy projects as their neighbors.

Nationwide, nearly 17,000 homes on tribal lands didn’t have electricity in 2022, according to federal data. The Biden administration is making new investments to address the issue.

A new round of federal funding saw Wyoming receive nearly $10 million in project funding.