A special Election Day special of the Montana Power Pod. Our Election Day panel (particle physicist Amit Roy and electrician and film maker Sean Kissinger) convenes to discuss the hyper partisan divide in America, the significance of the Bernie Sanders Movement, the importance of internationalism, and how we move forward.
On todays episode we interview Tom Woods, who is running as a Democrat for the open Public Service Commission seat in Montana's District 3. Tom previously served 4 terms in the Montana House of Representatives where he formed strong relationships with the PSC and legislators across the aisle. He is running to make North Western Energy more accountable to ratepayers, and aims to make energy conservation, and a transition to renewable energy a priority for the state. We also talk about Dan's loss ...
Today on the show (and the day of the Montana primary!) we interview Emily LaShelle, a Sunrise Movement organizer from Bozeman, working with Sunrise National, to discuss the Green New Deal. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hundreds of civil rights protests taking place across the United States, we wanted to hear from someone who could contextualize this moment and offer constructive solutions to our current predicament.
In this episode we welcome Jeff Smith… Max Smith’s dad. Jeff is the co-chair for 350 Montana, which aims to reduce atmospheric concentrations of CO2 by implementing strategic actions and advocating policies to end fossil fuel burning. In our conversation we discuss North Western Energy’s lack of vision, the vital role of the Public Service Commission, what good energy policy looks like (ahem Colorado), and the way forward. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/11/7/20951061/colorado-de...
Daniel Carlino, candidate for Public Service Commission District 4, doesn’t shy away from the activist message at the center of his campaign. In his interview with the Montana PostCast, he called for public ownership of utilities, an end to the corrupting influence of money in our politics, and an assertive approach designed to hold politicians accountable. Carlino believes that the PSC can take the lead on climate justice and ensuring that public policy matches what the science tells us: "We’re...
During his tenure in the Montana House of Representatives, David Ewer was a vocal opponent of the deregulation of the Montana Power Company. In this interview, we discuss the problems with deregulation, the pitfalls of investing in carbon producing power infrastructure and how the Public Service Commission can learn from past mistakes to better serve Montana ratepayers.
Over the past century, the community of Colstrip, Montana has been built around the booming energy coming from Colstrip's power plants. Coal power has allowed the economy of the Wild West to transform into what it is today, but it has come with consequences. While other investors in Colstrip are looking to pull out, Montana energy monopoly, Northwestern Energy is desperately wanting the approval of the PSC to purchase another 25% of Colstrip Unit 4 for $1, while concealing the costs of the coal ...
In this episode, we dive into the solution for getting us off of fossil-fuel energy: a giant, pumped storage hydro project. The CEO and project coordinator for this big wet battery is Carl Borgquist, the CEO of Absaroka Energy. Carl takes us through the ins and outs of how he is using water to make up for the base load power with his pumped storage project: the Gordon Butte. As Northwestern Energy plans on digging deeper into a future of fossil-fuels, this renewable energy battery is on the mark...
In the first episode of the Montana Power Podcast, we interview Christine Hallquist, the protagonist of the 2016 documentary Denial, a film which chronicles her struggles as a trans woman embracing her gender identity and her fight to implement a smart grid and renewable energy in Vermont as the CEO of the Vermont Electric Coop. The film serves as poignant metaphor for our country’s decades-long denial of climate change and our collective need to embrace hard truths in the coming years. We first...
