The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) and Sierra Club have petitioned the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) to hold a public hearing on the potential sale of PPL Montana’s electricity generation assets.
Recent report have indicated the PPL (NYSE:PPL) subsidiary is attempting to sell its Montana generating fleet. “As the electricity deregulation debacle in Montana has shown, a sale of electricity generation assets could significantly impact Montana utility customers,” the environmental groups said in an Aug. 26 news release.
If Northwestern Energy (NWE) is considering buying PPL Montana’s fleet, customers could be especially vulnerable to higher energy bills, the groups contend.
PPL Montana owns hydroelectric projects as well as the Colstrip and Corette coal-fired power plants, the environmental groups noted. Last year, PPL Montana announced its intention to mothball the Corette coal plant.
“Montana’s wind power is far cleaner and cheaper than coal,” said Sierra Club Senior Campaign Director Bruce Nilles. “The PSC should not even consider including a larger share of Colstrip into customers’ power bills without extensive public input and strong protections for consumers,” Nilles said.
