By Russ Riesinger, KTVQ
NorthWestern Energy’s Monday announcement that it has reached an agreement with Avista Corp. to acquire larger ownership of Colstrip Units 3 and 4 was cause for celebration for many in Montana, but not everyone is thrilled.
“This is a terrible idea for NorthWestern’s hundreds of thousands of customers who are already paying higher utility rates because of the Colstrip plant,” Anne Hedges, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Montana Environmental Information Center, said Tuesday.
Hedges warns that it could lead to Montanans paying some of the highest electricity rates in the region.
“NorthWestern is already asking for a 25 percent increase for its generating station outside Laurel—a gas plant. And now they are going to saddle us, or at least try to saddle us, with the cost for the operation and maintenance and fuel for a really old plant that is subject to very expensive breakdowns. This is definitely a buyer beware situation,” Hedges says.
