Same Playbook
Billings Gazette April 4, 2007
'NorthWestern, the state's largest electric utility with 325,000 customers, said it needs to lock down its customer base to get financing to build a plant to provide those customers with a long-term source of stable, affordable electricity.
"If you're going to finance a power plant that costs millions and millions of dollars, there has to be assurances that the customer base is there," said John Fitzpatrick, director of government affairs for NorthWestern.
The company wants HB25 to prohibit most NorthWestern customers from choosing a new electricity supplier.
Critics of the measure have questioned whether it unduly shifts the risk of building a new power plant to consumers, as it would allow NorthWestern to get "preapproval" from state regulators to charge ratepayers for the cost of the plant.'
'NorthWestern, the state's largest electric utility with 325,000 customers, said it needs to lock down its customer base to get financing to build a plant to provide those customers with a long-term source of stable, affordable electricity.
"If you're going to finance a power plant that costs millions and millions of dollars, there has to be assurances that the customer base is there," said John Fitzpatrick, director of government affairs for NorthWestern.
The company wants HB25 to prohibit most NorthWestern customers from choosing a new electricity supplier.
Critics of the measure have questioned whether it unduly shifts the risk of building a new power plant to consumers, as it would allow NorthWestern to get "preapproval" from state regulators to charge ratepayers for the cost of the plant.'
Looks like Northwestern Energy and Electric City Power are reading from the same book:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Building a Power Plant
Chapter One: Manipulating the Process and Denying a Public Vote
Chapter One: Manipulating the Process and Denying a Public Vote
Chapter Two: Prearranging Your Legal Opinions
Chapter Three: Creating Captive Customers - Eliminating Choice
Chapter Four: Obtaining "Assurances" via Legislative Action
Chapter Three: Creating Captive Customers - Eliminating Choice
Chapter Four: Obtaining "Assurances" via Legislative Action
Chapter Five: Withholding Public Documents and Bypassing Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
5 comments:
After the Montana Power debacle, I wouldn't be so willing to throw in with any presumed good ideas/concepts that other power utilities would come up with. NorthWestern should just give it up and leave our legislators alone. Besides, aren't these the guys that are all too ready to sell out to Australian interests? If so, then why should any of this matter to them at all?
NorthWestern Energy needs to understand that "they are not Montana Power".... Those days are over. NorthWestern wants legislation passed that will effect us for years down the road, just like Montana Power did, but yet they aren't willing to stick around to take responsibility for it if it all goes wrong, just like Montana Power did...
Thanks for commenting. I don't feel the 'Complete Idiots Guide to Building a Power Plant' was filled with good ideas,just sarcasm. Seriously, what do you think the impact on Electic City Power will be if HB25 goes through?
Good post. Keep it up.
Despite the conventional wisdom, I think deregulation in a power exporting state like ours has some benefits. Cheap electricity means wasted electricity. Every KWH saved by a Montanan is a KWH that is sold to a Californian. Montanans paying the true market rate turns conservation into a two fold revenue stream (a dollar of electricity saved is a dollar sold across the border) with the Montanan conserver receiving half the benefit. The problem with deregulation has been a lack of ECP type entities who don’t call for a captive market in order to exist. I’d rather be hostage to ECP than the PSC and Northwestern. I can at least plausibly pretend that I could exert some level of influence over ECP and our city government. This is not true for the PSC or NorthWestern. It is hard for me to comprehend why NorthWestern needs to be protected from me obtaining cheap power outside of their control. It’s even harder for me to understand why a legislator would want to stop me from obtaining juice for cheaper than NorthWestern is selling it.
PS. There is no commenting available for the Benefis post. Is this a anti-compete GF Clinic flag waver tactic?
Sorry, mea culpa. Blaze away.
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