Washington’s attorney general is opposing, in a court filing, a federal power agency’s plan to change a formula that helps hold down electric bills for customers of three big utilities. Attorney General Nick Brown’s office said on Sept. 29 that it filed an amicus brief opposing a Bonneville Power Administration plan that could raise rates for customers of Avista, PacifiCorp and Puget Sound Energy. The office says bills could rise by as much as 4 percent.
What the attorney general says
The brief was filed in Avista et al. v. Bonneville Power Administration et al. The attorney general’s news release does not name the court or give a case schedule. It says Bonneville plans to change the formula it uses to calculate Residential Exchange Program funds, and that the change could reduce the benefits customers get.
Brown said in the release: “The last thing customers need right now is the threat of yet another increase in prices.” His office argues that customers of private utilities already pay more on average than customers of public utilities, and should not be asked to cover more during what it calls an affordability crisis.
Bonneville has not revealed the exact rate increase. The release says the agency will do so in 2028, and that bills could rise by as much as 4 percent. More than 1.5 million Washingtonians get service from the three utilities named.
Washington customers of Avista, PacifiCorp and Puget Sound Energy face a possible 4 percent rise on top of requests of 25 and 29 percent, and a fixed income feels that first. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes heating, cooling and home-repair help and an application log and renewal calendar.
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The Residential Exchange Program in plain terms
Congress created the program in the 1980 Northwest Power Act. Federal law directs Bonneville to sell its hydropower first to public utilities, which leaves private utilities to buy costlier power elsewhere. The program is meant to even that out for homes and small farms.
According to Bonneville’s fact sheet, no power physically changes hands. Bonneville buys a utility’s power at its cost and sells back an equal amount at a set rate, and it pays the utility the difference. Participating utilities must pass the benefit to residential and small-farm customers as “credits on their retail power bills.”
The fact sheet lists six investor-owned participants, among them Avista, PacifiCorp and Puget Sound Energy, along with Idaho Power, NorthWestern and Portland General Electric. It also says a 2011 settlement fixes the investor-owned utilities’ payments through the 2028 fiscal year, at about $286 million a year for fiscal years 2026 through 2028. The fact sheet dates from 2020, and the settlement it describes runs through that fiscal year.
Other rate fights in Washington
The same release points to other pending increases. Puget Sound Energy has proposed a 29 percent increase over three years, and Avista has proposed 25 percent over four years. The attorney general’s office opposes both, calling them unreasonable and not in the public interest.
PacifiCorp is trying to sell its Washington service area to Portland General Electric. The attorney general’s office opposes that sale too, saying it would not benefit consumers and could raise energy costs.
These are separate proceedings from the Bonneville case. They show why a 4 percent possible rise lands on bills that may already be headed up.
Where the case stands
The brief is a friend-of-the-court filing. It adds the state’s view to a case between others, and the attorney general’s release does not say when a decision is expected. No rate change from Bonneville has taken effect. The agency has said the exact figure comes in 2028, and the 4 percent is the attorney general’s estimate of the most bills could rise.
Reduced program funds would mean higher rates for customers, the attorney general’s office says.
Help with heating bills in Washington
The state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is open to anyone in Washington whose household income meets the guideline, which Commerce sets at 150 percent of the federal poverty level, and who has not received a grant in the current program year. The program year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, and a household can apply once per year.
It offers a one-time heating grant, cooling help, repair or replacement of a broken heating or cooling unit, and referral to the weatherization program. Any heat source counts, including electric, gas, propane and oil. The department says grants almost always go directly to the energy utility. Applicants contact the local agency for their county through the state’s map tool, and Commerce itself does not decide eligibility. Its number is 360-725-2857.
Preparing for a higher power bill
Nothing changes on a bill today because of the brief. The useful step is to know what the bill is made of: the monthly use, the rate, and any credit line. Customers of Avista, PacifiCorp or Puget Sound Energy can keep two or three recent bills together and watch for a drop in a credit.
The free routes come first. The attorney general’s release has the brief, and its media contact is [email protected] or (360) 753-2727. For help paying, the local agency listed through Commerce’s map tool is the place to start, and documents proving identity, residence, heating costs and income are what the state says to bring.
Because the program year restarts on Oct. 1, now is a time households can apply for the new year’s grant.
A possible 4 percent rise on Washington power bills
A bill that rises 4 percent while two utilities ask for 25 and 29 percent leaves a household watching for any help it can apply to. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help, plus an application log and renewal calendar, in 64 pages.
Keep heating-help applications on one calendar with the Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
