MTPR

energy

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.

Pages