For starters, it’s not a public utility – Private utility created by cities could give Montanans less say over their energy future.

Several Montana cities, including Missoula, are attempting to buy the state’s largest utility, NorthWestern Energy, contending natural gas and electricity customers would be better served by a public utility. We aren’t so sure about that. But that notion’s beside the point.

While the cities tout their proposal as the way to create a public utility more responsive to Montanans, in fact, the utility they seek to create would be private, not public. Perversely, the new utility would be even less accountable to the public than NorthWestern is.

Montana consumers and businesses have been through the wringer over utility matters – starting with the star-crossed deregulation of the industry by the Legislature in 1997, leading to the breakup and subsequent self-destruction of the century-old Montana Power Co. and followed by the bankruptcy of Montana Power’s successor, NorthWestern. Montana consumers have been ill-served by these missteps and events; it would be a mistake, however, to assume matters can’t be made worse.
Several aspects of this proposed deal spell trouble for Montanans. Let’s focus on one today – the public utility that isn’t.

Five cities – Missoula, Helena, Butte, Great Falls and Bozeman – are proposing a $2 billion leveraged buyout of NorthWestern, but the cities wouldn’t own the utility.

Full Opinion: http://missoulian.com/articles/2005/09/21/opinion/opinion1.txt