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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)">The climate activist
group 350 Montana announces a statewide TV ad campaign to get citizens to comment by May 4 on
NorthWestern Energy's new 20-year procurement plan. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)">The ad is viewable here: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/no-more-coal?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_postdonate_r&fbclid=IwAR2WFud48wBUk8OhNxTrvZIgnNeZdEVafUeTbBnFc_hSyBoNrzU_raVHClk">https://www.gofundme.com/no-more-coal?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_postdonate_r&fbclid=IwAR2WFud48wBUk8OhNxTrvZIgnNeZdEVafUeTbBnFc_hSyBoNrzU_raVHClk</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><br><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crZx7vj4Yjo" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0.2in 0.0001pt;background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“We’re
seeing climate change in our dying rivers, extreme forest fire seasons, and
advancing threats to our two largest industries, agriculture and tourism. It’s
time for NorthWestern Energy to put away the fossil fuel blunderbuss and move
to renewable energy, what most Montanans want.” — Jeff Smith, 350 Montana</span></i><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">NorthWestern Energy's ugly horse-trading for more coal at the Legislature and its desire to throw off all regulation by the Public Service Commission <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">(PSC) </span>is bad enough, but its new plan is even worse.</span></p><p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></p><p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Montana’s PSC requires our monopoly utility, Northwestern
Energy, to plan for the next 20 years to make sure it can provide Montanans the
least expensive and most reliable energy. In 2015 the company published its <i>procurement plan</i> and wanted to build $1.3 billion
of natural gas (methane) generators to replace the coal-fired generators at
Colstrip, which </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">owners on the </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">West Coast are retiring at the end
of their 30-year useful life.<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">The
PSC rejected that 2015 plan and told the company to go back to the drawing
board and involve more “stakeholders.” The company then requested
many delays. In four years, NorthWestern Energy held only one public hearing.
Not once did they use their million-dollar public relations department — so
active in defeating all solar and wind proposals in the Legislature — to inform
ratepayers of the issues. <span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0.2in 0.0001pt;background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Commenting
on NorthWestern Energy’s procurement plan is one way Montana ratepayers and
citizens can fight back against a company that pollutes the legislative process
as much as it pollutes the stratosphere. It shouldn’t be able to turn up its
nose at conservation and Montana’s less expensive, world-class wind and solar.”
— Carla Abrams, 350 Montana</span></i><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span></span></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The
newly released, 2019 plan describes how the company has difficulty meeting peak demands, but,
instead of detailing a conservation strategy or looking to renewable energy, it veers off into a vague request-for-proposal
without specifics. At the same time, the company CEO, Bob Rowe, wrote an op-ed
for Montana newspapers saying he welcomed the opportunity – free of PSC
regulation – to buy more coal-powered electricity. <span></span></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This
is at a time when Montana’s costs resulting from climate change are staggering.
In actual fact, we’ve reached a tipping point where continuing to pour
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is costing more than moving to
carbon-free, renewable energy:<span></span></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Montana had to cut $50 million in
essential services to pay its fires bills in 2017. <span></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The fires reduced Montana’s tourist
visitations by 400,000 visitors, and the state lost $240 million in our
recreational economy. <span></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A </span><a href="http://montanafarmersunion.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FINAL_Impact_Climate_Change_MT_Ag_Econ_Power_Consulting_2-24-2016.pdf" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue">2016 Montana Farmers Union study</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">, “<i>The Impacts of Climate Change on
Montana’s Agriculture Economy,” </i>concluded that the impact of
unchecked climate change on Montana’s two primary agricultural sectors is
projected to be a 20 percent decline in rangeland cattle production and a
25 percent reduction in grain production. That means losses of 25,000 jobs
and $736 million in labor earnings by mid-century. <span></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0.1pt 0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">And
a </span><a href="http://montanawildlife.org/climate-impact/" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue">2015 Montana Wildlife Federation
study</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">, “Impact of Climate Change on the Montana Outdoor
Economy,” documented a potential loss of 11,000 jobs and $281 million
income due to stream closures that limit fishing, lost hunting
opportunities, wildfires, and reduced snowpack for winter recreational
activities if we do nothing to limit greenhouse gases. <span></span></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0.2in 0.0001pt;background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“We need to let
NorthWestern Energy know that citizens want a halt to greenhouse gas emissions
that are at the root of climate change. We don’t support any plan to spend
billions of ratepayers’ money to buy more coal or build more fossil fuel
plants.” </span></i><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">— John Woodland,
350 Montana</span></i><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)">350 Montana encourages
Montanans to go to our website, </span><a href="http://www.350montana.org" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">www.350montana.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"> to learn about the 2019 procurement plan. Or
people can go directly to NorthWestern Energy’s comment site: </span><a href="https://contactus.northwesternenergy.com/userforms/sspf" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">https://contactus.northwesternenergy.com/userforms/sspf</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)">For more info: Jeff Smith, <a href="mailto:yswolfhowl@gmail.com">yswolfhowl@gmail.com</a></span><a href="http://www.350montana.org/what-do-i-say-in-my-comment/" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" align="center"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:rgb(34,34,34)">* * *<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>END<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>* * *<span></span></span></b></p>
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