State Senator Mike Breitbach explains his vote on solar energy legislation

Posted: Sun, Mar 24, 2019 6:37 AM

State Senator Michael Breitbach says he made the correct vote on a bill to allow Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy to increase the charge to solar energy customers for using the electric grid. The bill passed the Iowa Senate last Monday and was sent to the Iowa House.

Breitbach was among the 28 state senators voting to approve the bill. In his weekly newsletter, he says, "This bill would allow the Iowa Utilities Board to determine what the appropriate maintenance fee would be for solar customers that use the rate-regulated utilities' grid. My position is, if you are using the grid, you should be required to help pay for the maintenance of the grid. All existing solar customers are grandfathered in and will not be subject to this change."

In an earlier decorahnews.com story last week (http://www.decorahnews.com/news-stories/2019/03/21814.html), Winneshiek Energy District Director Andy Johnson says the legislation actually represents an attempt to usurp the decision-making powers of the Iowa Utilities Board. He says the Iowa Utility Board is in the midst of a three-year project to collect additional data and information involving solar energy costs and that any decision by the legislature this year would shortcut that process and take the Iowa Utilities Board out of the decision making.