Onopoly Utility News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

TOM LUTEY
Montana’s utility regulator might still pay a price for not allowing NorthWestern Energy to bill customers for $6 million stemming from a months-long summer malfunction at Colstrip Power Plant.
Tuesday, Republicans voted to take $75,000 from the budget of the Montana Public Service Commission to pay for a study about how the PSC’s decision last fall affected NorthWestern Energy’s bond rating — and whether customers could face costs when the utility’s bond rating suffers. The amendment was offered to House Bill 2, the state’s general spending bill, during a meeting of the Senate Free Conference Committee.
The budget cut is equal to the annual salary of PSC rate analysts, who have been blasted by lawmakers for raising concerns about how customer bills might increase under legislation favoring Colstrip and the state’s largest monopoly utility. Another PSC staff position was eliminated by lawmakers a couple of weeks ....

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