Montana's Public Service Commission has acknowledged a potential $300 million risk for NorthWestern Energy customers if the Colstrip power plant closes early.
Just when you thought a new high school, a new safety center, and a park maintenance fee added to your taxes was enough to tap you out the commission is back.
If there seems to be a little bit more change in your pocket, it might be because Montana’s minimum wage climbed to $7.35 an hour on January first. That’s an increase of ten cents, which translates to $32 per month for the average worker.
The federal government handed out a pay freeze. Plenty of Montanans have taken pay cuts or are just plain out of work. And the State of Montana is heading towards a pay increase for state workers in 2012. As you can imagine, plenty are unhappy with it.