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Opinion: Anti-solar bill by Rep. Larry Brewster (R-Billings), HD 44 will effectively destroy industry, cost Montana jobs
These aren’t just households; they are our libraries, schools, fire stations, small businesses, and farmers and ranchers. This bill is signaling to Montanans – all Montanans – that they shouldn’t be allowed to produce their own energy to save money on their electricity bills.
House Bill 359, introduced by Rep. Brewster – R, Billings [email protected] , will effectively destroy Montana’s solar industry and cost the state hundreds of well-paying jobs provided by local businesses across the state.
The issue at hand is net metering, which is a billing mechanism that allows Montanans who invested in rooftop solar and small wind systems to get credits on their energy bills for any excess electricity that they send back out to the grid. The excess energy goes to their neighbors to use, which the utility gets paid for. The bill credits can be used later to help lower their energy costs.
The proposed legislation intends to upend that program by reducing the value of solar credits by about 70%, which will increase the time it takes to pay off the investment by up to decades. What’s worse is the changes would impact the more than 3,000 Montanans who currently own rooftop solar and small wind systems.
By Andrew Valainis – executive director of the Montana Renewable Energy Association. MREA is a non-profit organization that works to educate and advocate for renewable energy across Montana.
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Jeff Smith writes:
Hello.
A retired NorthWestern Energy employee elected to the Montana House has introduced a bill the Montana Renewable Energy Association says “will effectively destroy Montana’s solar industry.”
This bill (HB 359) changes the rules for net-metering rooftop solar installations. This bill will reduce solar credits by 70 percent.
Many Montanans save money by installing solar panels. The cost of solar panels has declined by 89 percent in the last decade. The International Energy Agency now calls solar “the cheapest source of electricity in history.” The Rocky Mountain Institute says we’re on the cusp of a huge investment in clean energy, $60 billion a year, all pointed at rural communities.
Net-metering is the lynchpin to homeowners saving money and generating clean energy. It’s a billing mechanism that allows Montanans who invested in rooftop solar and small wind systems to get credits on their energy bills for all the excess electricity that they send back out to the grid.
What’s truly asinine about the bill is that the Montana Public Service Commission just finished a year-long analysis of net-metering and concluded that reducing the crediting rate for rooftop solar is not justified. This “rate case” generated thousands of pages of detailed studies, testimony, questioning, and cross-examination. Forty-seven different witnesses took the stand. The hearings took two weeks. In the end, the Commission ruled unanimously (5-0) that solar customers cover their fair share of costs and reducing the credit is not justified.
Tell the House Energy, Telecommunications, and Federal Relations Committee to reject this bill. It takes five minutes to send an email to all the members of that committee at the legislature’s website: https://leg.mt.gov/web-messaging/. Or you can call (406) 444-4800 and leave a message for committee members to reject HB 359.
Jeff Smith, co-chair, 350 Montana