Montana Energy Planning Action Alert
Tell the MT Public Service Commission that Montanans want clean and affordable energy NOW.
OVERVIEW
Montana could produce a huge amount of clean, renewable energy to power our future, create jobs, reduce energy costs, and do our part to eliminate carbon pollution.
But, Montana’s monopoly energy company, NorthWestern Energy (NWE), is planning to burn more fossil fuels instead, and raise our prices.
The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) needs to hear from Montana families that we want them to protect our pocketbooks, families, and futures, by asking NorthWestern Energy to make a meaningful plan to transition to clean, renewable energy.
Here are the details and how you can get involved:
The company released its new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP; formerly known as the Resource Procurement Plan) this year. This plan is intended to disclose how NWE will meet the energy needs of its customers over the next 20 years, including how our energy will be produced. Our friends at MEIC have analyzed the plan and conclude that:
“this IRP would result in an electricity system that is unaffordable, unreliable, and ignores the climate crisis. It seems to be more focused on securing increased revenue for NorthWestern’s shareholders than providing affordable and reliable power for Montanans.”
Montana families can’t afford endlessly rising energy costs. We can’t afford for pollution and dirty energy to continue compromising our health and wellbeing. We can’t afford to reject the job-creating opportunities and incentives of the clean energy sector. We can’t afford to live in an unstable and unpredictable climate system which threatens the communities, beings, and landscapes we love. We can’t afford for our energy monopoly to force us toward climate catastrophe.
We need to stand up for our kids, families, and communities. Montanans want clean and affordable energy NOW.
Montana’s PSC, the elected body responsible for regulating NWE, is accepting public comments and holding public hearings throughout the state on the recent IRP this August. This is a hugely important opportunity to speak up for clean energy in Montana and hold NWE to their promise to “deliver a bright future.”
Here’s how you can take action:
In this Q&A with MEIC, Co-Director Anne Hedges explains what the IRP is, why it is important, and how to stand up for our kids, families, and communities and show the PSC and NorthWestern Energy that Montanans want clean and affordable energy NOW.
Send your written comment to pschelp@mt.gov before August 28. Be sure to include: “RE docket 2022.11.102” in the subject line. Respectful, personal comments will be the most successful. Talking points below, but include your personal reason for writing.
Submit a Letter to the Editor (LTE) to your local news outlet voicing your concern about the IRP and encouraging folks to submit written comments and attend the hearings. More about LTEs and how to submit here, and reach out to mthudson7@gmail.com for support.
Phone bank with us on Thursday, August 3 from 6:30-8:30 in Missoula. Email alyshagoheen1@gmail.com for more info and to RSVP.
Participate in an upcoming hearing (dates listed below), either in person or via Zoom.*
HEARING DATES
Great Falls: August 14, 6:00 p.m., Commission Chambers in the Civic Center, located at 2 Park Drive South.
Helena: August 15, 12 p.m., Montana Public Service Commission, Bollinger Room, 1701 Prospect Avenue.
Billings: August 16, 6:00 p.m., Board of Oil & Gas Conservation, 2535 St. Johns Ave.
Butte: August 17, 6:00 p.m., Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, 17 W. Quartz.
Missoula: August 22, 6:00 p.m., Missoula College Learning Center (river campus), 1205 E. Broadway Ave., Room 304.
*If you plan on testifying via Zoom, contact the PSC at 1-800-646-6150 or pschelp@mt.gov by 5:00 p.m. on the day before you intend to provide comment, and they will send you a personalized Zoom link for the hearing.
SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS
The following are fact-checked talking points you can use in your comment or LTE:
The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that NorthWestern Energy wrote is currently under consideration by the PSC, and if approved could guide energy procurement for the next 20 years.
The IRP does not outline a meaningful transition to renewable energy.
The IRP ignores available incentives (Inflation Reduction Act) for transitioning to renewables.
The IRP favors more expensive options (methane, nuclear) over less expensive renewables.
The IRP ignores financial risks of coal (changes in EPA regulations) and market volatility of methane.
NWE leadership is heading the wrong direction with a plan that will likely continue to drive up rates, and exposes rate payers to increased financial burden.
NWE leadership is failing to lead in the transition to clean energy.
NWE is prioritizing corporate profits over rate payer interests for affordable, clean, and reliable energy.
