Big MDU Update!!

It is time to tell our elected officials how we really feel!

The Public Service Commissioner will be hosting a listening session in Miles City on Thursday, June 15th, 2023 at 5:30 at City Hall. We need to show up in big numbers to convince the commission to deny the increase. The room is pretty small so if we can get big numbers, it will really show the PSC our concerns about the proposed rate increase.

If you cannot be there in person would like to participate virtually, contact the PSC at 1-800-646-6150 or [email protected]

I wish I could get a 20% raise in my income.

Before getting too excited that a public service commissioner will be here for a “listening” session on the proposed rate increase, one should consider what this session is about. The first problem is he is requiring that the get together must be at city hall in counsel chambers. This venue is very limited in size. If there is a crowd anything approaching the meeting at 105 at MCC, most attendees will be in the hallway and out the door. They will tire of that in short order and leave. Further, this will not be a hearing. I don’t believe he’ll show with a reporter to take testimony. If attendees don’t show with a written position and request that it be made part of the file, anything said will disappear like whistling in the wind.

Just arrived in my e-mail:

Hi everyone,

What happened?

Last night, the Montana Consumer Council and MDU reached a proposed settlement or "stipulation." This is a proposal that they will submit to the Public Service Commission regarding the MDU rate case. Keep in mind, the Public Service Commission would still have to approve the settlement.

So what is in the settlement?

MDU is now asking for a 9.1% increase for residential, 9.2% for small businesses and 9.1% for large businesses. This is a significant decrease from their original proposal for 19.2% residential and 15% for businesses.

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Why is this significant?

This settlement is directly because of your work, both members and non-members of Dawson Resource Council and Northern Plains, to put pressure on public officials and make our voices heard. Normally, the utility will wait to make a settlement until after the public hearings. This time they are getting ahead of the hearings and listening sessions and announcing the settlement now. It is like they are trying to settle out of court before the trial. This is a big win. This settlement reduces costs for residential consumers by more than 50% and saves Eastern Montana communities over $4 million dollars a year. WE DID THAT TOGETHER!

What's next?

We will be pushing turnout for the Miles City PSC listening session on Thursday, July 15th at 5:30 at City Hall. If you cannot attend in person, you can email the PSC to attend virtually: [email protected] We must keep the pressure on!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

--
Jackson Newman | Community Organizer


Northern Plains Resource Council
220 S. 27th Street, Suite A | Billings, MT 59101
[email protected] | 406-248-1154 x 114
www.northernplains.org

Northern Plains Resource Council is a grassroots conservation and family agriculture group. We organize Montanans to protect our water quality, family farms and ranches, and unique quality of life.

So the ink is hardly dry on MDU's last rate increase, a rate increase that was significant to our detriment. Now they come with another rate increase request when they can't even show the overall effect the recent rate increase had upon their bottom line. MDU is asking for an outrageous increase knowing that the present commission will give them at least half, especially since the legislature severely compromised the consumer counsel. This deal is a little like the international agreement Chamberlain got at Munich in the 30s, that Hitler should have the Sudetenland in exchange for Germany making no further demands for land in Europe.

[Edited by Hanson (6/14/2023 10:31:10 AM)]

Here is an interesting read from not very long ago...


https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/state/legislative-audit-and-report-finds-financial-abuse-at-public-service-commission/article_4a539b38-9483-5b59-829a-1490a61528f5.html

The PSC is where Repugnican legislators go to retire, be overpaid and fight with each other for scraps of power. It has nothing to do with protecting consumers or even caring about consumers.

Yet our fellow Fox News loving neighbors continue to vote for them because the Democrats stole the election and made our kids trans.

These are strange times we live in.

If it weren't for Democrats, there would be no brown people or gay people or trans people or people who read and think. All beer would be light beer and wimmens would do whatever men wanted but Democrats screwed it up.