Pinocci campaigns for PSC on water compact

Montana Public Service Commission candidate and former state Rep. Randy Pinocci, R- Sun River, said at a meeting of the North Central Pachyderm Club Friday, that his work as a lawmaker makes him the candidate with the experience needed to serve on the commission and blasted one of his primary opponent's 2015 vote for a water compact.

Pinocci, State Rep. Rob Cook, R-Shelby, former Libertarian U.S. House candidate Mark Wicks of Inverness and Cory McKinney of Great Falls are all competing to be the Republican candidate for the Commission's District 1 seat. The District which extends from the North Dakota border west to Toole County and south to Cascade County is now represented by Commissioner Travis Kavulla, R-Great Falls. Kavulla is unable to run for reelection due to term limits.

The winner of the June 5 primary will face Democrat and Havre Clerk/Finance Director Doug Kaercher in the November general election. Though he would face three Republicans in the primary and a Democrat in the general election, Pinocci said he believes a Democrat will not be able to win the general election. The election will be decided in the primary and Pinocci said he and Cook are the only real candidates.

"There are only, in my opinion, two people in this race: Rob Cook and Randy Pinocci." he said.

He added that there is a stark difference on the issues between himself and Cook.

He said Cook spearheaded the Salish Kootenai Water Compact passed during the 2015 legislative session.

Pinocci said the compact, which was passed by Democrats and several Republicans and still needs to be approved by Congress, is one of the worst bills passed in the history of the state of Montana.

"It takes water rights from people off the reservation, it takes property rights from people off the reservation and stood against the Montana Constitution, which says that the waters of Montana belong to the people of Montana, not the Salish Kootenai," he said.

The compact was sponsored by state Sen. Chass Vincent, R-Libby , but Pinocci said the compact goes against the platform of the Republican Party.

"It stands against all the Republican party principles: water rights, property rights, growth of government." he said. "The eleven Republicans who joined all the Democrats to pass this, every single one of them should be voted out of the place," he said.

"And I will point at Rob Cook in the crowd and say 'that is the man that spearheaded the water compact that is growing government and has been standing against the Republican Party platform his entire political career," Pinocci said

Cook said Sunday that the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Grain Growers Association. the Montana Farm Bureau, the Montana Chamber of Commerce and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox all supported the compact.

"I would say this: that you get elected to represent your constituents and those four groups and the attorney general are my constituents," Cook said.

Pinocci said the water compact can still be stopped in Washington D.C.

Voters, he said, should ask the four Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate held by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., what they would do to kill the compact.

Pinocci, who served one-term in the Montana House, was a member of the House Federal Regulation, Energy and Telecommunication Committee.

The committee oversees and works with the Public Service Commission to make legislative changes to laws when needed. Pinnoci said he got to know the commissioners and became familiar with the issues they work on during his time on the committee.

"These guys are my friends and we worked hard together," he said.

Pinocci said his work included standing up against NorthWestern Energy on behalf of rate payers, fighting the utility so it would have to pay for electricity it purchased to cover for a broken turbine while it repaired the turbine.

A lawsuit on that is still making its way through court, he said.

Pinocci said that his experience on the committee makes him uniquely qualified among his opponents.

"The others don't have that experience at all," Pinnoci said.