With utility bills for residential customers going up, legislators introduced a series of bills to help keep the costs down. (123RF)

 

It’s not news: Oregonians are paying more for electrical power than they used to pay.

The residential rates for PacifiCorp customers have gone up almost 50% since 2021. This year, residential customers of Pacific Power got a 9.8% increase on their bills.

What is news: The Oregon Legislature is trying to do something about it.

A host of bills were introduced this session with an eye on trying to keep electricity costs down. The Oregon Legislature has taken action on some. Others don’t seem to be moving.

House Bill 3179 is one that appears to be moving forward. It requires that the cumulative impact of rate increases on residential customers be considered. The Oregon Public Utility Commission, which approves rates for investor-owned utilities in Oregon, would be able adjust rates to mitigate an increase. The bill also effectively prohibits rate increases from going into effect in the winter.

Another bill that appears to be moving forward in the Legislature is Senate Bill 688. It changes the regulatory framework for setting rates.

Most utilities in the U.S. operate under a framework that is based on cost of service. Utilities petition their regulator for rates based on their costs, projected costs and earnings. Senate Bill 688 starts setting up a framework to do it differently in Oregon. It would mean a switch to performance-based regulation. Other states are trying it, too. The state would have goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, resilience and reducing costs to ratepayers. The PUC would set penalties and incentives for utility performance based on the goals.

A bill that would require data centers and other large energy customers to pay their share of their energy costs went to Gov. Tina Kotek. She signed it on Monday. She had indicated her support for the bill. House Bill 3546 says that large customers requiring more than 20 megawatts have to sign a contract for a minimum of 10 years to pay for energy used and any new transmission required.

House Bill 3081, a bill from state Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, has not had any action since April. It would require Oregon’s Department of Energy to do more to ensure Oregonians are informed about energy efficiency incentives and programs.

Those are some of the bills that may alter what Oregonians pay on their utility bills. Nobody will be able to do a counterfactual analysis on the difference it makes if they do or don’t pass. But they may help. Tell your legislator what you think.