Missoula County opposes HB 314: Require PSC to consider economic impact of coal plant closure, up for hearing this afternoon in the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee. If passed, this bill would require the Public Service Commission to take into account economic impacts (defined as lost tax revenue and job losses) when evaluating the acquisition, sale, expansion, or closure of coal-fired power plants. This is problematic for a couple of reasons. First, it calls for economic impacts to be considered only for coal plants, and not for any other type of energy generation. If the PSC is to consider economic impacts for some types of energy generation it should consider them across the board. Second, and more importantly, there are serious questions about whether this is an appropriate role for the PSC. The PSC’s job is to regulate monopoly utilities for the protection of ratepayers. This is a crucial mandate and changes to it should not be taken lightly due to the potential for unforeseen long-term consequences.
Representatives Olsen and Sullivan,
ReplyDeleteMissoula County opposes HB 314: Require PSC to consider economic impact of coal plant closure, up for hearing this afternoon in the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee. If passed, this bill would require the Public Service Commission to take into account economic impacts (defined as lost tax revenue and job losses) when evaluating the acquisition, sale, expansion, or closure of coal-fired power plants. This is problematic for a couple of reasons. First, it calls for economic impacts to be considered only for coal plants, and not for any other type of energy generation. If the PSC is to consider economic impacts for some types of energy generation it should consider them across the board. Second, and more importantly, there are serious questions about whether this is an appropriate role for the PSC. The PSC’s job is to regulate monopoly utilities for the protection of ratepayers. This is a crucial mandate and changes to it should not be taken lightly due to the potential for unforeseen long-term consequences.
Please oppose HB 314.