So, What Happens When Your Energy Source Unexpectedly Dies? -- October 7, 2015; If You're An Environmentalist, Sue

AP/Penn Energy is reporting:

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — NorthWestern Energy makes its case to state regulators Tuesday in a dispute over at least $8.5 million that the utility collected from Montana customers after a 2013 power plant outage forced it to buy electricity on the open market.

The South Dakota-based utility said in filings with the state Public Service Commission that the charges offset costs for the replacement power it bought. That happened after the Colstrip coal plant was partially idled for more than six months for repairs beginning in July 2013.

The Montana Consumer Counsel and environmental groups want the money returned to customers. They argue that NorthWestern should have taken out insurance against a possible Colstrip outage, or sued plant operator PPL Montana to recover the cost of getting power elsewhere.

The case comes down to whether the utility acted prudently as required under state law when it passed the replacement power costs along to its customers.

NorthWestern spokesman Butch Larcombe said that's just what the company did.

"Most people don't understand this, but with any sort of (power) generation facility, you're going to have time when it's not operating. That's true for wind turbines or natural gas or a coal plant. You have to go get electricity somewhere else," Larcombe said. "That's what the laws and regulations provide."

The Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club also filed challenges to a petition from NorthWestern to the Public Service Commission that would allow its previous charges to customers in the case to stand.

350,000 customers. $8.5 million.  $8.5 million / 350,000 = $24 for six months = $4 / month. Are you kidding me? I must have done the math wrong.

Clearly Northwestern Energy should have gone to regulators immediately when they first became aware of an impending Colstrip outage. 

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Joke Of The Day

Politico is reporting:

Over a 72-hour-period beginning Saturday evening, the Democratic front-runner showed up in rapid-fire succession on four NBC-related properties — “Saturday Night Live,” “Politics Nation with Al Sharpton” on MSNBC, a “Today Show” hosted town hall and an interview on Telemundo – a feat that’s left media consultants, competitors at rival networks and even some at NBC itself wondering how she got so much quality air time.

"Quality Air Time?" Al Sharpton -- he's relegated to the 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning time slot, I thought. "SNL" -- watched by ... whom? Telemundo? Okay, I'll give you the "Today Show." I assume she was on the food segment, showing how she bakes cookies.

 On the other hand, she did "cover" all the demographics:

• Sharpton: inner city Obamaphone users
• Telemundo: undocumented Spanish-speakers
• SNL: pot users in Colorado, Oregon
• Today Show: English-speaking soccer moms

I assume this weekend:

• Al-Jazeera
• OWN
• Current TV 

Stand By Your Man, Tammy Wynette