HELP JENNIFER WIN!

In 2022, NorrthWestern Energy (NWE) asked for a 28% increase, but the PSC did NOT approve it. Those who claim the PSC did are incorrect. The PSC actually cut NWE's request by approximately $32 million, and what we ended up approving was a rate increase averaging less than 6% per year over a 4 year period. Nearly half of this increase involved "flow thru costs" like property taxes and energy supply costs that the PSC had no lawful authority to deny.

 In actuality, the portion of the rate increase the PSC had full discretion over amounted to about a 3.6% increase per year over 4 years, and this was allowed to cover the cost of critical infrastructure including power poles, power lines, and gas and electric meters to safely and reliably keep delivering energy to Montana homes and businesses.

The Montana Consumer Counsel, which is the rate payer advocacy agency in Montana, agreed with our final decision, as did all other parties involved in contesting the original amount of NWE's requested rate adjustment. If we had erred, critics could have taken us to court and won. But they didn't. 

On October 15, 2024, the Commission voted against allowing a 10.25% rate hike that had been requested by Montana Dakotas Utility (MDU). READ OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE HERE: Montana PSC Votes Against 10.25 percent Montana Dakota Utilities Natural Gas Interim Rate Increase (mt.gov) 

Fielder chaired the evidentiary hearing and successfully led the effort to expand consumer choice in the Missoula marketplace. Happy consumers have been getting better service at lower prices. ever since.  

“Despite numerous (customer) complaints, Republic downplayed them as if they were inconsequential,” said Commissioner Jennifer Fielder, who represents the district that includes Missoula County and made the motion to approve the new operator. “And those complaints were serious and significant.”

The PSC approval means L&L Site Services doing business in Missoula as Grizzly Disposal and Recycling will be granted a license to haul garbage in the county and compete with Republic.  READ FULL DAILY MONTANAN STORY HERE: Public Service Commission allows second garbage hauler in Missoula County.

While Jennife has been working hard for us, her opponent hasn't even bothered to show up at one single PSC meeting.   

More than 80% of our opponent's campaign funds came from out of state donors during their first reporting cycle to the Commissioner of Political Practices. Since then, a dark money group has spent an estimated $200,0000 on deceptive campaign advertisements backing Jennifer's opponent. This dark money group has not disclosed the total amount spent or what companies these funds are coming from. And despite calling itself the "Montana Rate Payers Association", this dark money group has never contested a rate case or testified on behalf of rate payers.

Unlike our opponent, Jennifer refuses to accept contributions from out of state interests or individuals, groups, or corporations with cases pending before the PSC.  Jennifer does not have dark money groups spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on her behalf.