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NorthWestern Corporation AnnouncementSpeaking points of Gov. Judy Martz CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Throughout my life as a fourth generation Montanan, I have always understood how very special our way of life is under the Big Sky. It's about neighbors helping neighbors. It's about working together for the common good. It's about passing on to the next generation of Montanans a Montana better than the one we inherited. I am working each and every day to live up to my obligations to the people of Montana. Never would I have anticipated even a year ago that an energy crisis would consume the first weeks of my administration the way it has. But we're working through it. We're working night and day to find solutions, and that is why I am so very pleased to announce today that NorthWestern Corporation has stepped up to the plate to be a good corporate citizen. Even though their transaction with Montana Power is still pending, NorthWestern has already proven that they understand and accept the Montana way of life -- our way of working together. Working together, my administration and NorthWestern Corporation have taken the first of what we hope is a series of steps to lead Montana out of our regional energy crisis. Under NorthWestern’s proposal, we will be able to meet nearly one-half of the energy needs of our large customers at a very competitive price. NorthWestern has offered to build a state-of-the art electric generation facility by natural gas, an environmentally favored way of producing electricity. When completed, the project will provide almost 240 average megawatts, with nearly 80 megawatts expected to be available as soon as October of this year. They will sell the bulk of the electricity at cost into a power pool -– not at excessively high market prices. By the fall of 2002, this project will provide nearly 240 average megawatts, or about one-third of the default supplier’s total electricity requirements. As an additional source of low-cost electricity, this project should also provide benefits to residential customers for many years. I am working with the legislative leadership to develop legislation that will address issues concerning financing, taxation, expedited permitting, and coordinating the permit process with the construction phase of the project. I am also asking all state agencies to make every effort to quickly initiate the necessary permitting processes so NorthWestern can meet this compressed timetable and help put Montanans back to work. I look forward to working with NorthWestern and Montana Power Company in the coming months and years to meet Montana's energy needs. The Advisory Council on Electricity Prices has already submitted recommendations to my office that address the needs of NorthWestern’s proposal. For example, the Council has recommended both a five-year tax holiday for any new generation developed in Montana and using state backing to help lower financing costs for new generation. I am very optimistic that NorthWestern’s proposal, coupled with the demand exchange program that my office has been developing in coordination with the Public Service Commission, will meet a significant portion of the large customer’s short term energy needs. I thank NorthWestern for their positive, productive relationship. And I especially thank them for being the first job creator to demonstrate leadership under difficult circumstances. They have proven that profits don't have to come at the expense of hardworking Montana families and business owners -- and they are exactly the kind of good corporate citizen we need to make Montana a better place to make a living and raise a family. -END- |
