A growing political divide over how to meet the West’s electricity needs could mean splitting up one of the biggest utility companies in the country — if Utah get its way.
A resolution passed last month and signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox encourages the formation of an “interstate compact for regional energy collaboration” with Wyoming and Idaho, aligning the three red states. It is seen as the first step in a larger effort to split the six-state utility PacifiCorp into two entities — one that serves the three Republican-leaning states and the other serving Pacific Northwest customers in states with more liberal energy policies.
“Sadly, we know Utahans are paying more for power because of decisions being made in coastal states, places like Oregon and Washington,” Cox said in the press conference. “But this is so much more than that.”
With the Trump administration stripping back climate protections and clean energy incentives, states are likely to take a greater role in determining the country’s energy future. And perhaps no utility shows how hard it can be to navigate the increasing polarity of the states than PacifiCorp, the subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy with some 2.1 million customers.
