HB 72 Utah House · 2025 General Session

Electricity Rate Amendments

HB 72 changes how Utah electric utilities recover costs from customers. It requires utilities to prove that costs directly benefit Utah ratepayers before recovering them, and prevents utilities from charging Utah customers for facilities primarily benefiting other states. The bill creates new rules for allocating costs of shared power plants, requiring utilities to show Utah customers receive proportional benefits. Utilities must file state-specific plans for new power projects and get commission approval before recovering costs for those projects. This affects all large Utah utilities operating across state lines.

Issues: ✓ Energy

Bill status passed 3 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Jan 2025

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Mar 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten to add new definitions for generation resource allocation, establish a framework for cost-sharing between states, and set specific deadlines for utilities to report on existing and new generation resources. It also expanded the bill's scope to include generation resource cost allocation and created a state-specific resource planning requirement for utilities procuring new resources after December 31, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from primarily addressing energy balancing accounts and multi-state utility cost recovery to also include generation resource cost allocation and state-specific resource planning requirements.

DEFINITION

New definitions for 'existing share', 'new share', 'generation resource', and 'share' were added to clarify how utility costs should be allocated between states.

REQUIREMENT

Utilities must now prepare and file a state-specific resource plan before recovering costs for any new generation resources procured after December 31, 2025.

New requirements mandate that utilities demonstrate new generation resources were identified in an approved state-specific resource plan and provide direct benefits to Utah ratepayers.

TIMELINE

The deadline for utilities to account for existing generation resources was changed from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025, with reporting required by January 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

The commission is now required to specify the new share assignable to Utah ratepayers and use that share when calculating recoverable costs for new generation resources.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee

upper

Jan 30, 2025

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

Jan 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Jan 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable

lower

Jan 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

House/ to standing committee

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor