Bob Lake is Montana’s last chance to have a practical, experienced voice on the PSC. Bob is a man of integrity, a business man who owned and operated Lakeland feeds in Hamilton.He knows what it is like to manage utility expenses. I served with Bob and we pledged an oath to uphold the laws and to protect the customers of Montana utilities.
Recently, I read an “Opinion” article by Gail Gutsche. Although she is entitled to her own opinion, she is not entitled to her own facts. She is a self-proclaimed activist who’s previous work experience includes Planned Parenthood and NARAL. She has a history of sacrificing Montana ratepayers in the name of high-cost renewables. Ms. Gutsche is deceiving voters about the solar projects she speaks of. These small solar projects are gaming federal laws and will litter the landscape of Montana at 5-6 times the market price for the next 25 years! Northwestern Energy (NWE) has already testified that this cost exceeds $150 million. Montanans like clean, renewable energy, but at a reasonable price! Both MDU and Northwestern Energy have developed renewable projects this year at reasonable prices.
Colstrip Unit 4 generation is among the cheapest power available. The claims made by Ms. Gutsche are intentionally misleading. She shows her true colors when she faults NWE for the outage. NWE was not even the operator of the plant. This issue is in court and will likely be overturned costing the ratepayers the original cost plus additional legal cost. I would take $8.2 million for baseload generation over $150 million for intermittent solar any day. The CU4 decision was very telling and demonstrates how Commissioner Bob Lake’s thoughtfulness and vision make him a much better candidate for the PSC.
Kirk Bushman
Montana Public Service Commissioner, District 2