2005 Idaho Code - 67-8902 — DECLARATION OF NECESSITY AND PURPOSE

                                  TITLE  67
                      STATE GOVERNMENT AND STATE AFFAIRS
                                  CHAPTER 89
                     IDAHO ENERGY RESOURCES AUTHORITY ACT
    67-8902.  DECLARATION OF NECESSITY AND PURPOSE. (1) It is hereby
determined and declared that:
    (a)  Industrial, irrigation, commercial and residential consumers in the
    state of Idaho receive electric service from various investor-owned,
    cooperative and municipal utilities and the ability of these utilities to
    provide reliable and economic electric services at stable prices is
    essential to the economy and the economic development of the state of
    Idaho and to the health, safety and welfare of its people;
    (b)  The regional interconnection of electric utilities causes events and
    conditions in other western states to have a significant impact of the
    operations of utilities in the state of Idaho and the restructuring of the
    electric industry in recent years by the federal government and in other
    states has exposed all utilities in Idaho, and the consumers served by
    them, to volatile market prices, reliability concerns and other adverse
    conditions;
    (c)  It is in the best interest of the state of Idaho and its people that
    sufficient and reliable electric generation and transmission resources are
    developed and made available at cost-based rates in order to enable these
    utilities to meet existing and future demands for electric services, to
    provide adequate reserves and to promote reliability at the most stable
    rates practicable;
    (d)  The electric utility and energy industries are and will continue to
    be capital-intensive industries and the availability of cost-effective
    financing to investor-owned, cooperative and municipal utilities will
    enhance the ability of these utilities to provide and promote economic
    electric services to consumers in the state;
    (e)  Coordination, cooperation and joint ventures between and among such
    utilities with one another and with the private, cooperative, federal,
    state and municipal utilities and agencies that provide wholesale and
    retail electric services in the western states will promote regional
    electric reliability and stability and will provide economies of scale;
    (f)  It is the intent of the legislature to create the Idaho energy
    resources authority to promote the development and financing of facilities
    for the benefit of participating utilities and to accomplish the purposes
    stated above, and to authorize the authority to exercise all such powers
    as are necessary to enable it to achieve such purposes and to thereby
    promote and protect the economy of the state of Idaho and the health,
    safety and welfare of its people; and
    (g)  It is in the best interest of the state of Idaho and its people to
    encourage and promote the development of renewable energy resources in
    order to develop sustainable sources of energy supply, reduce
    inefficiencies in the use of electric energy and enhance the long-term
    stability of the energy resources and requirements of the state.
    (2)  Nothing contained herein is intended or shall be construed to limit
or restrict the authority of the Idaho public utilities commission with
respect to the regulation of electric corporations and public utilities
pursuant to title 61, Idaho Code.