MTPR

energy

Greater Home Code Compliance Could Reduce Energy Bills, Emissions

By • Aug 2, 2019


A study recently found that roughly three-quarters of new homes in Montana meet state energy codes meant to curb electricity bills and increase durability.

Plastic Has A Big Carbon Footprint — But That Isn't The Whole Story

By Christopher Joyce • Jul 9, 2019

Plastic waste gets a lot of attention when photos of dead whales with stomachs full of plastic bags hit the news. Pieces of plastic also litter cities, and tiny plastic particles are even floating in the air.

Largely overlooked is how making plastic in the first place affects the environment, especially global warming. Plastic actually has a big carbon footprint, but so do many of the alternatives to plastic. And that's what makes replacing plastic a problem without a clear solution.

Colstrip Power Plant Units 1 And 2 To Close This Year

By • Jun 11, 2019
Power plant at Colstrip, MT.
Beth Saboe / MontanaPBS

Units 1 and 2 of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip will permanently close at the end of this year. Plant operator Talen Energy made that announcement in a press release Tuesday, saying the company has been unsuccessful in making the units economically viable. Talen says the plant’s newer units, 3 and 4, will remain open.

Greens Ask State Regulators For Colstrip Rate Relief

By • May 23, 2019
NorthWestern Energy building in Butte, Montana.
Nora Saks / Montana Public Radio

Environmental advocacy groups and the state’s largest utility company are arguing over how much customers should pay for power coming from the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip.

For the first time in 10 years Montana regulators are revisiting NorthWestern Energy’s ownership at Colstrip in a big picture look at how much the company earns and charges its customers.

Rooftop Solar Customers Could See Higher Rates Under NorthWestern Plan

By • May 23, 2019
NorthWestern Energy is asking the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve a new fee that certain customers will have to pay if they generate more energy than they use and feed it onto the electric grid, a process known as net-metering.
iStock

Advocates for homeowners generating electricity through rooftop solar panels protested a request by the state’s largest utility Thursday that could increase power bills for some of those customers.

NorthWestern Energy Switching To More Eco-Friendly Street Lamps

By • Apr 22, 2019

NorthWestern Energy is outfitting 43,000 streetlights across Montana with new energy-efficient bulbs, as old, potentially hazardous fixtures are recycled.

Falling prices have made the LED streetlight bulb a cost effective option for NorthWestern, especially as manufacturers warn the utility that traditional high-pressure sodium lights might not be available much longer.

Largest Solar Project In Montana Could Be Coming To Dillon

By • Apr 17, 2019
Solar panels. Stock photo.
(PD)

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — Officials say a proposed solar project development north of Dillon would be the largest commercial solar facility in Montana if approved.

Montana Senate Passes Medicaid Expansion Reauthorization

By • Apr 16, 2019
Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas (R) - Stevensville
Mike Albans / Montana Public Radio

The bill to continue Medicaid expansion in Montana passed out of the state Senate Tuesday after teetering on the edge of a deadline for end of session negotiations.

The reauthorization of the health coverage program for low-income adults, packaged with new work and public service requirements for certain enrollees, passed 28-22 in its final Senate vote.

Amended 'Save Colstrip' Bill Advances To The House Floor

By • Apr 12, 2019
A party-line vote late in a Montana House committee Friday is advancing the controversial bill that gives NorthWestern Energy incentives to buy a larger share of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip.
Nora Saks / Montana Public Radio

A party-line vote late in a Montana House committee Friday is advancing the controversial bill that gives NorthWestern Energy incentives to buy a larger share of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip.

But the so-called Montana Energy Security Act is moving to the House floor for debate significantly changed.

House Committee Hears Controversial 'Save Colstrip' Bill

By • Apr 8, 2019
NorthWestern Energy building in Butte, Montana.
Nora Saks / Montana Public Radio

The controversial proposal for Montana to give NorthWestern Energy incentive to buy a bigger share of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip got its first hearing in the state House Monday.

Senate Bill 331 is seen by some as a deregulation bill to benefit of the state’s largest monopoly utility company. Others see it as a proposal to save Colstrip while providing reliable  power that will keep Montanans' heaters running even in the coldest of cold snaps.

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