With 190 dedicated employees, Intermountain Gas serves about 380,000 customers across southern Idaho. For almost 70 years we have been part of 76 communities and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers here for years to come.
As an energy provider proudly serving our region, Intermountain Gas has an important role to play in securing a lower carbon future for Idaho. Natural gas remains the cleanest option for meeting our region’s peak energy demand. This means keeping our system reliable and affordable for our customers while helping communities meet their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
Our first obligation is to serve our customers safely and reliably in compliance with all state and federal regulations. We operate efficiently to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Our environmental goals are:
- To minimize waste and maximize resources;
- To be a good steward of the environment while providing high quality and reasonably priced products and services; and
- To comply with or surpass all applicable environmental laws, regulations and permit requirements.
We strive to meet these goals through established operational practices and by leading or participating in a number of programs to help ensure a sustainable environment. Intermountain’s efforts include:
- Decades long membership in the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), where Intermountain is supporting important research efforts that deliver pathways to “green the gas” with Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and Hydrogen, optimize energy efficiency and renewables integration, and reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions. GTI delivers new technologies that expand the supply of natural gas and renewable energy, ensure a safe and reliable infrastructure, deliver solutions for efficient and environmentally responsible use of energy, reduce and manage carbon emissions, and advance energy systems innovations that protect air, land, water, and communities while enhancing economic growth.
- Participation in the North American Natural Gas Collaborative whose mission is to bring the most efficient new natural gas technologies to market. This Collaborative of utilities from across North America works with manufacturers, distributors and contractors to bring proven technologies to market as quickly as possible, providing customer choice and access to the most efficient new natural gas technologies, such as gas heat pumps and gas heat pump water heaters.
- An Energy Efficiency Program that encourages the wise use of natural gas and provides economic benefits to participating customers by lowering their usage and thus their monthly energy bills. Rebates to residential customers encourage the adoption of energy efficient technologies and building practices. Since the program began in 2017, nearly 6,000 applications have been processed and the company has issued $3.3 million in rebates. This translates to nearly 675 thousand therms saved, or enough energy to serve 918 homes for a year in Intermountain’s service territory.
- Fostering the growth of the Renewable Natural Gas industry by providing Access service that helps RNG producers bring their product to market. This service allows RNG producers to use Intermountain’s distribution system to access the interstate pipeline system to move RNG to their end use customer. Intermountain provides the vital infrastructure necessary to move RNG produced in Southern Idaho throughout the Western United States.
- Sponsorship of the Energy Policy Institute’s annual Energy Policy Conference. This conference is a premier, interdisciplinary forum in North America that examines issues and opportunities of energy policy. The conference brings together researchers from across the country to present on topics including decarbonization, extreme weather and changing climate, energy modernization and energy system resilience.
- Operation of a safe natural gas pipeline system through continued diligence and the use of proper tools including continual surveillance of our system, patrols, leak surveys and contractor education, and other critical measures to comply with federal requirements.
- Participation as a founding partner of the EPA’s Natural Gas Star Methane Challenge Program since March 2016. Through this voluntary program Intermountain has committed to apply best management practices across its operations to mitigate methane emissions from excavation damages.
- Active participation in Call Before You Dig – 811, Common Ground Alliance, and continual exploration of other voluntary actions to reduce methane emissions from excavation damage.
Being part of the state’s energy future also means supporting the environmental priorities of those we serve. We will continue to review opportunities and explore options to partner with developers and customers on renewable natural gas and other projects to reduce carbon.
It takes all of us working together to support a healthy, sustainable future. We look forward to continuing to support the climate ambitions of our communities as an environmentally conscious energy provider.