Montana Energy: Building a Vision

Montana is, and always will be, an energy state. Historically, we were known to be producers that fueled the Industrial Revolution, thanks to Colstrip’s mines and the oil and gas fields. More recently, Montana’s tremendous wind resource is widely recognized as being extremely valuable to the energy transition.

In order to continue being an energy state, harness our wind resources, and participate in a growing Western energy market, we must invest in our transmission lines and push permitting reform through local and national channels. This requires a vision for the future of energy in Montana.

Everyone, from the Montana Chamber of Commerce to the rural electric coops, agrees that permitting reform is needed and that we are undergoing a transition to clean energy in our country. How can Montana contribute to this? Montana can lead with solutions to protect our communities. We all want the safest, cleanest, and cheapest energy system that will service the increasing demand, and keep the lights on.

The most commonly cited solution is building out transmission infrastructure. Our current transmission infrastructure is outdated. Montana hasn’t seen large-scale transmission development since the 1970s. Montana’s transmission paths are highly utilized, and some are over-utilized. There is little wiggle room to serve the state’s rising peak demand, which is experiencing new, historic highs. We must build new lines, string new conductors, and invest in substations and ancillary infrastructure to increase our transmission capacity.

This is where permitting reform comes into play. Building new transmission lines can take decades. A line that just broke ground in Wyoming had been in the permitting process for 18 years. That’s unacceptable. We must cut the red tape. Let’s lean into efficient solutions like utilizing existing rights of way, and expediting the development process.

Second, technology. Montana can diversify its grid and add energy generated by wind, water and solar (WWS), and storage to meet its energy needs by 2035. Areas that would be impacted by the transition away from fossil fuels also have a great deal of potential for clean energy generation.

Fortunately, wind, solar, and batteries are rapidly becoming the cheapest, and most reliable, option for energy generation and future capacity. Adding battery storage to the grid is essential.

We’re also blessed with abundant wind energy potential. Montana could add 5,500 wind energy jobs by 2050, studies show. Tax revenues from these facilities would bring hundreds of millions of dollars to local and state governments, helping to build much needed public infrastructure or offset our escalating property taxes.

As wind is developed, battery storage would make this cheap generation source dispatchable, providing capacity to the system more cost effectively and reliably than natural gas peaker plants. Long-duration storage (LDES) with 18-100 hours of storage would enable us to use low-cost energy to supply even the most difficult weather events, such as we recently experienced during winter storm Heather.

Third, we need vision. According to Kyle Unruh of Renewable Northwest, “Idaho Power has developed an integrated resource plan that illustrates the long and short-term vision for its energy development, including massive transmission, wind, solar, and battery storage development.” Consequently, Idahoans are enjoying unprecedented industrial load growth, economic development, and connectivity to the Western market. This combines to make their energy cheap and reliable now and in the future.

Montana would do well to emulate our neighbors on the other side of the Bitterroots. To do this we need to plan for the load growth we are already witnessing as a result of a rising population, electrification, extreme weather, and industrial development. We also need to plan for and invest in the transmission and generation infrastructure needed to harness our tremendous wind resources and connect us to the West.

We all agree that we need reliable, on-demand, clean and affordable energy. Our members of Congress can help by enacting policies to get the permitting reform we needed yesterday and the infrastructure update needed now.

Clean energy generation has the potential to be low cost, but we must be able to connect it to the grid and get the power to the plug.

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Hattie Hobart is the Western Regional Director for the American Conservation Coalition, the largest youth right-of-center grassroots environmental organization in the country.See: http://www.acc.eco .

Alex Amonette volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, volunteer-powered advocacy organization with 2,500 supporters in Montana. The Montana chapters of CCL welcome everyone to join their respectful, bipartisan efforts to urge Congress to enact commonsense solutions to reduce climate pollution and add clean domestic energy. See: cclusa.org .