Jon Roanhaus / Wikimedia Commons
For agricultural irrigators in Wyoming, a new electric rate hike request from the state’s largest utility could push already strained farming operations past the breaking point — especially as drought conditions force earlier and heavier pump use this season.
Why It Matters
Wyoming farmers and ranchers who depend on electric-powered irrigation systems are looking at a proposed 37.7% rate increase under a filing Rocky Mountain Power submitted to the Wyoming Public Service Commission in May. That figure dwarfs the 8.8% average rate increase proposed for the utility’s 150,000 Wyoming customers overall, and it arrives on top of two consecutive base rate increases regulators have already approved.
For Cokeville-area producers like Tim Teichert and Jason Thornock, the numbers are not abstract. Thornock’s typical irrigation-season electric bill runs around $150,000. Teichert’s reaches roughly $90,000. With drought conditions demanding pumps run earlier and longer this year, both men expect their bills to climb tens of thousands of dollars beyond those already significant figures.
“It’s going to kill us,” Thornock said. “They’re going to make it very difficult to be a farmer in Rocky Mountain Power’s service area.”
What Happened
Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp — the utility holding company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — filed the rate request with Wyoming regulators last month. The company is seeking a $71 million overall revenue increase, citing $4.5 billion in new capital projects spread across six states and a proposed $10 million wildfire liability self-insurance reserve fund for Wyoming. The company is targeting a 7.56% rate of return.
The proposed hike would translate to a monthly increase of roughly $23 to $25 for an average residential customer. Large industrial and commercial users would face increases ranging from 7.4% to 10.9%. But the steepest burden falls on agricultural irrigation customers, designated as Schedule 40 ratepayers, who would see rates rise by 37.7%.
Rocky Mountain Power filed a 638-page document detailing its justification for that increase, pointing in part to a 30% surge in irrigation customer system usage during peak periods compared to figures used in the company’s 2024 general rate review.
By the Numbers
- 37.7% — proposed rate increase for irrigation customers (Schedule 40)
- 8.8% — average proposed rate increase for all Wyoming customers
- ~1,000 — irrigation customers served by Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming
- 0.4% — irrigation customers’ share of total energy usage on the Wyoming system
- 16% — total base rate increases approved by Wyoming regulators since 2024, combining a 5.5% increase in 2024 and a 10.2% increase in 2025
Industry Alarm
Agricultural organizations are taking the proposal seriously. Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, said the trajectory of rate increases poses a structural threat to farming viability. “I don’t see how anybody can afford to do it when they suddenly face increases like this,” he said.
The concern is compounded by timing. Drought across parts of Wyoming has forced irrigators into the field earlier than normal this season, meaning higher usage — and higher bills — before any rate decision is even finalized. Despite representing only about 0.4% of total energy consumption on Rocky Mountain Power’s Wyoming system, irrigation customers account for a disproportionate share of the proposed rate burden under the new filing.
This is not the utility’s first recent ask. Rocky Mountain Power previously sought a $71 million rate increase from Wyoming regulators, and the current filing continues a pattern of escalating costs for ratepayers across the service territory.
What’s Next
The rate request now sits before the Wyoming Public Service Commission, which must review the proposal before any increase takes effect. Agricultural stakeholders are expected to participate in the regulatory process, and the commission’s decision could carry major consequences for Wyoming’s farming and ranching sector heading into future growing seasons. No timeline for a final ruling has been publicly announced.
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