Temporary Term For New Montana Public Service Commission: What This Could Mean for Big Sky
Montana's Governor Is Appointing A New Public Service Commission; Here’s How SNO Participated
The temporary appointment for a Public Service Commission (PSC) is underway. On August 20th, Governor Gianforte’s office stopped accepting public comment for a temporary PSC for Montana. An appointee will soon be selected to serve for one year in the absence of Commissioner Brad Molnar.
What Does The PSC Do
The PSC ensures that ratepayers have continued access to utility services that are affordable, reliable, and sustainable over the long term. They regulate the rates and service quality for investor owned electric, natural gas, water, waste-water, and legacy telecommunication companies.
What The Right Candidate Could Do For Big Sky
The appointment of a temporary commissioner could be very impactful for Big Sky. With Big Sky being a tourism driven economy and seeing significant population growth during the winter and summer months, decisions affecting our utilities can impact the reliability and cost of our energy system drastically. The temporary election of a candidate who will actively advocate for a diverse and clean energy portfolio that encourages long-term emissions reduction could create opportunities for Big Sky’s tourism driven economy.
How SNO Made Public Comment
One of SNO's objectives is to incentivize advocacy through our Sustainable Business Achievement Program. A coalition of achieved businesses and organizations came together to write a public comment letter, which you can check out HERE. Our steps were simple:
Identify our goal: endorse a candidate who will actively advocate for a diverse and clean energy portfolio that encourages long-term emissions reduction
Research the candidates
Write a public comment letter emphasizing our goal
Submit the letter to the governor’s office
Check on the NRDC’s toolkit on effective public comments.
We would like to thank all of the Big Sky businesses who helped support our public comment letter.
With the current legislature ramping up, it is important to stay up to date on public comment opportunities. You can find future opportunities at https://www.legmt.gov/participate/.
Here’s to making a change for Big Sky's long-term energy needs!
Solar Panels at Discovery Ski Resort