Numerous articles about energy regulations, both news and opinion pieces have appeared in our newspapers over the last month relating to both the Montana Public Service (PSC) Commission and laws emanating from the recently concluded legislative session, relating to Northwestern Energy (NWE).
Both the PSC and Legislature have chosen a pedal-to-the-metal approach when it comes to facilitating NWE to commit to fossil fuels versus renewables, for Montana’s primary energy resource for the foreseeable future.
Our country’s second-largest energy producer, Exxon, was slow to acknowledge publicly what their scientists shared privately many years ago, that climate change was real, serious and caused primarily from fossil fuel consumption. Exxon began exiting the coal business almost 30 years ago and isn’t even in the coal business today. Both ConocoPhillips and Exxon appear to be serious about transitioning from fossil fuels; both have low-carbon groups working to find solutions, including carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), hydrogen and second-generation biofuels. These strategies are to be commended and encouraged — most climate action advocates understand energy companies have to balance shareholder interests with doing what they know to be right.
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Unlike the tobacco companies of 40 years ago that chose to keep their research regarding the connection between cigarette smoking and cancer a secret, most energy companies have come clean with the facts as they relate to fossil fuel emissions and their connection to global warming. This is in contrast to many of our Republican legislators and all five of our PSC commissioners, who refuse to make laws and/or regulations that reflect the scientific knowledge available (and needed) for informed decision making today.
Shame on NWE for not sharing (shouting out) its plans to move to an all-electric fleet for their own transportation needs. You can read about it, it’s published, but I doubt the PSC commissioners (or most Republican legislators) even know (or would approve) of this.
Instead, NWE chooses to state publicly that the new, $275,000,000 Yellowstone County Generation plant being built on the Yellowstone River outside of Laurel, will contribute only/maybe in a negligible way to climate change. WHY? Because its audience of regulators and lawmakers chooses to be willfully ignorant. After all, everyone knows only the “libs” believe fossil fuel causes CO2 emissions contribute mightily to climate change (or that climate change is a serious problem).
FYI, when Edison discovered the light bulb, it really wasn’t a tragedy for the candle industry — it’s called innovation and it’s what separates our United States from every other country on the planet.
Here in Montana, Clearwater Wind Farm, operating in eastern Montana, is producing 750 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. Clearwater is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, which first overtook Exxon as the largest U. S. domiciled energy company in 2020. Why is NextEra, a company you may have never heard of, now number one in size? Innovation.
If our lawmakers and PSC commissioners continue to anchor their constituents to the candle industry, NWE will go the way of the Montana Power Co.; ironically for the exact opposite reason — but once again because our politicians thought they knew best. Montanans will again be left holding the bag. The clean up, remediation and decommissioning costs NWE is assuming as it acquires ownership of Colstrip have yet to be accounted for.
We need expertise not ideology, informing our politicians, regarding our state’s energy future.
Jim Edwards resides in Helena.