MONTANA ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION CENTER
T
he legislative session has been a tough one for clean energy, but it is not all bad news.
The Good...
Rooftop Solar
There has been both good news and bad news regarding rooftop solar in Montana. Throughout the first half of the session, all eyes were on HB 359 (Rep. Larry Brewster, R-Billings), which would have punished rooftop solar owners. The bill would have overturned the 2019 rate case decision in which the PSC determined that NorthWestern Energy’s proposal to reduce net metering credits was not justified. The bill also would have interfered with the “grandfather” clause that protects 3,000 Montanans who rely on rooftop solar from any rate changes, and that is where the bill fell apart. After numerous Montanans, including many MEIC members, reached out to Rep. Brewster about this potential interference, he realized that the bill would harm the existing contracts. Minutes before the hearing started, Rep. Brewster asked the House Energy, Telecommunications, and Federal Relations committee to table the bill, and it did. Since that victory, an excellent bill, HB 448 (Rep. Josh Kassmeir, R-Fort Benton) has been making its way steadily through the legislature. The bill aims to increase the total amount — or the cap — of generating capacity that can be installed for rooftop solar for commercial rooftop solar owners. That would allow commercial property owners to reap more of the benefits from solar and allow the state to better pursue solar as a renewable energy option.
Victory by Defeats
Bills that aimed to increase taxes on solar (HB 346) and wind (SB 85) were all amended or died in committee. HB 188 (Rep. Denley
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Clean Energy: An Uphill Battle by Conor Ploeger
Loge, R-Saint Regis) would have dramatically increased the registration fees for electric vehicles, but the bill has now been amended to increase them by a more modest amount. Finally, a bill (HB 606) designed to hinder utilities across the state from using advanced metering to get more accurate results for ratepayers was defeated due to a joint effort by environmental groups and utilities across the state.
...and the Bad Renewable Portfolio Standard
Montana’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) came under attack during this session. The RPS requires Montana utilities to purchase at least 15% of their electricity needs from renewable sources. NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities have expressed their interest in changing or repealing the RPS, and the legislature is listening. First, there is SB 237 (Sen. Doug Kary, R-Billings). This bill aims to remove the community renewable energy projects (CREPs) requirement under the RPS. The CR EPs provision ensures that utilities in Montana pursue locally-owned resources when meeting their requirements under the RPS. NorthWestern has continuously argued that the CR EPs requirement is not feasible and has therefore
Protecting Montana’s natural environment since 1973 .
