Supporting Jennifer Fielder

I will be voting for Jennifer Fielder again, she is doing a great job on the Public Service Commission.

Under the policies of the current administration, America is trapped with an actual inflation rate of a little over 27%. Consumers are all aware of how this added cost has a negative impacted every facet of our life and eats up our real income.

Unfortunately utilities are also struggling with the high 27% inflation rate, and increased property taxes, affecting building service lines, servicing existing lines, and delivering power to us. These are a large part of the higher cost of providing the service under the current situation. Like us, utilities are paying higher prices for every aspect of their business.

The current, terrible economy, has forced each of us to examine our spending, if we aren’t willing to pay the going price for something it is lost to us. The same principal applies to the utilities companies.

Last winter we had an old fashion cold snap and Montana didn’t have enough available power generation to keep the heat and lights on. The utility was forced to go out on the open market and bid for power from the grid, from areas of the country having excess power available. It was a necessary action to keep Montana warm in the colder weather, an expensive and unavoidable cost. Remember the excessive energy bills in Texas a few years ago?

In the open power market the highest bidder gets the available power, it is very expensive, with many utilities across America that experiencing the cold snap have the same situation, they all bid against each other.

The necessity of providing power to the consumer by the utilities is crucial at the time, to keep the lights on and keep people from freezing.

This added expense outside the immediate purview of the Public Service Commission until the utility presents it for recovery of their incurred service expenses.

Montana used to be an exporter of power. Now only one unit of Colstrip is running, and we find ourselves in the uncomfortable position having to bid on the open market, having to buy and import the necessary power. Currently there is a movement to close the remaining unit, Colstrip 4. If the remaining Colstrip generation unit is shuttered, we will be even more at the mercy of out of state power generators when we overwhelm our home grown generation capacity. We will be paying the higher prices for more power from the grid.

As you can see there are many factors to be considered by our Public Service Commissioners when looking at the proposed rate changes by the utilities, it isn’t as simple as saying “No”. Many things must be taken into account and considered to keep our power on.

Jennifer is very knowledgeable, dedicated, and she works hard for all of us. She understands the hard economic time Montanans are experiencing, and works to keep the expense to the consumer as low as possible, and still maintain service. She experiences our shared expenses, understands our situation.

The PSC has save the consumers millions of dollars in the past 3 years.

On the national stage we are seeing what happens when the powers that be ignore reality and let emotions run things, don’t let it happen here!

Please join me and cast your vote for Jennifer, and her vast knowledge and experience. We will be the true winners!

Don Nance, Trout Creek