Dive Summary:

• Oregonian advocates are asking state regulators to disallow rate increases proposed by PacifiCorp to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars it spent to reduce air pollution at Wyoming coal plants, claiming it would have been cheaper if the utility had simply retired the plants altogether.
• The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) could disallow the recovery costs PacifiCorp is seeking if it finds that they weren’t consistent with their “mandate to serve ratepayers with the least-cost, least-risk mix of resources.”
• Thus far, the OPUC has found that, despite some analytical flaws, PacifiCorp investments were prudent, prompting the outcry from opposition groups.

From the article:

Ratepayer advocates and environmentalists say Oregon customers shouldn’t have to pay for PacifiCorp’s pollution-control upgrades at two Wyoming coal plants when it would have been cheaper to retire them.

They’re asking state regulators to disallow rate increases that would help the Portland-based utility recoup hundreds of millions of dollars it spent to reduce air pollution at those facilities. ...