The Coachella Valley Energy Commission, established in 2021 to strategize long-term planning for energy service, unanimously supported the idea of forming a new joint powers authority in the Coachella Valley. This proposal would give valley residents more say in the way they receive electricity from Imperial Irrigation District, and could possibly form a standalone utility in the future. The plan must gain approval from several separate entities before any action is taken. 

Imperial Irrigation District provides power to a large number of valley residents under agreement with Coachella Valley Water District, but the district’s governing board is elected solely by voters in Imperial County. A joint powers authority would aim to address the concern of lack of representation for eastern Riverside County residents. The joint powers authority would include Coachella, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County, and Coachella Valley Water DIstrict.