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House resolution on transmission infrastructure wins committee approval after amendment
Summary
The committee approved House Joint Resolution 15, which urges support for more electrical transmission infrastructure; members added a conceptual amendment to send the resolution to the U.S. Department of Energy before voting to pass it as amended.
The Senate Natural Resources Committee advanced House Joint Resolution 15, a legislative resolution urging more electrical transmission infrastructure. Representative Greg Kametz, sponsor of HJ 15, said the measure had broad stakeholder support in the House and passed there 98–0. Supporters in the committee framed the resolution as a nonbinding signal to the congressional delegation and federal agencies about Montana’s priorities for transmission.
Proponents included the Montana Environmental Information Center, Renewable Northwest, the Northwest Energy Coalition, the Montana Association of Oil, Gas, and Coal Counties, and the Montana Renewable Energy Association. Testimony emphasized that additional transmission could reduce costs for ratepayers, improve reliability and allow Montana resources to connect to regional markets.
Senator Heyman moved a conceptual amendment to add the U.S. Department of Energy to the parties receiving the resolution; the committee approved the conceptual amendment by voice vote. The committee then voted to pass HJ 15 as amended.
The transcript records the committee approving the conceptual amendment and passage by voice vote; a later clerk’s entry shows the resolution passed out of committee as amended.
