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P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720
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Charter

Background and Purpose

By Executive Order 2007-2, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter established the Idaho 25x'25 Renewable Energy Council. This mandate was assigned to the Office of Energy Resources. The original 25x'25 effort was focused primarily upon using agricultural and forestry resources to meet 25% of the state's energy needs by 2025. The Office of Energy Resources (OER) expanded this initial concept to include sustainable resources, energy efficiency and conservation, and energy development in accordance with the Idaho Energy Plan.

In response to this broader agenda, the Governor changed the name of this effort to the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance. The structure of the Alliance allows a wide variety of stakeholders to have representation and play a role in developing energy plans and strategies for Idaho's energy future. The Alliance is Idaho's primary mechanism to engage in seeking options for and enabling advanced energy production, energy efficiency, and energy business in the State of Idaho.

The purpose of the Alliance is to enable the development of a sound energy portfolio for Idaho that includes diverse energy resources and production methods, that provides the highest value to the citizens of Idaho, that ensures quality stewardship of environmental resources, and that functions as an effective, secure, and stable energy system. As such, the Board will:

1. Provide policy direction and planning aimed at increasing the State of Idaho's production of renewable and sustainable energy.
2. Work to improve cooperation, collaboration and information sharing among public and private sector entities in the area of renewable and sustainable energy.
3. Seek out new and innovative means to increase production of energy in Idaho.

Specific Activities of the Board

1. Develop, review and validate project plans, technical concepts, business plans, communications strategies and other items for the Council.
2. Provide to the Council a "Program Plan" to include:
   1. Validated information, on a sector-by-sector basis, regarding the state of renewable and sustainable energy deployment in Idaho;
   2. Validated information regarding energy resource potential;
   3. Options for functional pathways to deployment including conversion and transmission options, including those for electricity, fuels, heat, and other value-added energy products;
   4. Assessment of technical, market, or regulatory challenges to address in deployment;
   5. Assessment of environmental (air, water, land) impact;
   6. Prioritization of near and mid-term development options;
   7. Execution elements for near and mid-term.
3. Provide the Council a renewable energy / energy efficiency "Communication Strategy" that advances understanding of broad energy issues, the importance of renewable and/or sustainable energy / energy efficiency, and relevant State of Idaho / stakeholder initiatives;
4. Develop, charge, and manage Task Forces to develop and validate supporting elements of the Program Plan and Communications Strategy or to address other items deemed necessary;
5. Monitor and assess energy related efforts and opportunities in Idaho and report these to the Council through a regular reporting process;
6. Identify opportunities for energy related investment and program partners, identify potential initiatives, including demonstration projects, research and development projects, and industrial-scale projects.
7. Develop partnerships with university, industry, and regional stakeholders to advance the Idaho Program Plan;
8. Provide strategic vision that will optimize overall results of the program. This will be accomplished by:
   1. Evaluating and prioritizing the efficacy of alternatives across the entire program;
   2. Identifying synergistic opportunities and facilitating collaborative efforts and proposals between task force teams;
   3. Providing oversight of task force team activities and progress while providing assistance when necessary;
   4. Providing task force teams with guidance and boundaries that will ensure optimized results.

Membership

Board membership is appointed by the Governor with the assistance of the Director, Office of Energy Resources, for a term specified by the Governor.