b'is the regional entity that monitors and enforcesThe commission doesnt manage customer-owned compliance with reliability standards in Idaho and theelectric cooperatives or publicly owned municipal rest of the Western Interconnection 4 It also conductsutilities 5 In addition to the three IOUs, Idaho has 11 studies and assessments of the electricity grid, directsmunicipal utilities and 15 rural electric cooperatives long-term planning, and develops regional standardsthat serve more than 137,000 customers throughout for electricity reliability.5 Idaho (see Figure 7). Most of Idahos cooperatives and municipalities purchase the bulk of their electricityIdaho has a regulated electricity market. The Idahoabout 96 percentfrom Bonneville Power Public Utilities Commission regulates the threeAdministration (BPA); however, many are beginning investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in the state: Avistato acquire their own power generation resources and Utilities, Idaho Power, and Rocky Mountain Power (seeenter into power purchase agreements with other Figure 6). The commission establishes electric rates,energy providers. The three IOUs serve approximately declares rules for the utility operations, receives and84 percent of the states electricity needs, and resolves complaints, and issues quasi-judicial orders,municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives which may be appealed by the Idaho Supreme Court.serve the remaining 16 percent (see Figures 6 and 7).4Regional Electric InterconnectionsFIGURE 5. North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Regional Electric Interconnections. Source: "Idaho Energy Landscape 2020"Energy-Electric Subsector 59'