Dive Brief:
- Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has appointed a new chair of the state's utility board, the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- Geri Huser, a former state representative who works in the Iowa Finance Authority, has been tapped to lead the board.
- Huser will take the board spot of Sheila Tipton, an attorney. Elizabeth Jacobs, who had been chair of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), will remain on the board.
Dive Insight:
Gov. Terry Branstad has appointed new leadership at the Iowa Utilities Board, quietly tapping Huser to lead the board amid a long list of appointments. The lack of explanation for the appointment has led to speculation that the shakeup is related to last month's decision ordering MidAmerican Energy to return $2 million annually to ratepayers.
The decision approved MidAmerican’s Wind IX generation project of up to 162 MW and established an 11.5% rate of return on equity for the portion of the wind project to be included in the Iowa electric rate base. The order included a Board-initiated settlement modification that, once 50 MW of the project is in operation, triggers an additional $2 million in annual benefits to flow to MidAmerican's electric customers through the utility's energy adjustment clause until the next MidAmerican rate case.
The Belleville News-Democrat confirmed that officials from MidAmerican met with the Governor to protest the board's decision, though the company said it did not lobby for changes to the Utilities Board.
