Concerned Citizens Montana (CCM) Retains Prominent Attorney To Protect Property and Participation Rights in Northwestern Energy's MSTI Proposal

Karen Budd-Falen - Nationally Recognized for Land Use and Property Rights Litigation

TWIN BRIDGES, Mont., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Concerned Citizens Montana (CCM), a coalition of Montanans working together to educate the public on the impacts of NorthWestern Energy's proposed Mountain States Transmission Intertie (MSTI), has retained attorney Karen Budd-Falen (Budd-Falen Law Offices, L.L.C., Cheyenne, Wyo.) to protect rural traditions, natural and historic lands, property rights, and ensure local participation rights are enforced in Beaverhead, Broadwater, Jefferson, Madison, and Silverbow counties.

Concerned Citizens Montana (www.concernedcitizensmontana.net), a non-partisan organization formed to support citizen involvement in promoting responsible and innovative energy solutions, said MSTI concerns them on the following grounds:

• Jobs: As confirmed by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in the draft EIS, MSTI will not create significant or lasting jobs for Montanans. Additionally, a recent study demonstrated that for every new position created by subsidized energy projects like MSTI, at least 2.2 jobs in other industries will disappear.
• Rates and who pays for MSTI infrastructure: NWE has recently asked for an increase to Montanans' electric rates to pay for the construction of the natural gas plant at Mill Creek, a potential component of MSTI as noted in the draft EIS. The Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) is proposing a socialization of costs to ratepayers to build infrastructure like transmission lines so that everyone pays to build these lines – not just the users.  Along with the ability to increase electrical rates to pay for MSTI, NWE is seeking federal stimulus subsidies for wind and transmission development and low-interest loan guarantees.
• Rights: Montanans along and near the line are faced with confiscation of property and rights by government-sanctioned appropriation of private land through eminent domain for a transmission line that exports energy and makes no provision for energy to Montanans. Also, the right of impacted local governments to influence the planning of MSTI has been grossly ignored.

Budd-Falen's firm is known for its expertise and successful litigation record defending private property rights and issues pertaining to the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental statutes.  Karen Budd-Falen is one of the authors of the first local land use plans written for Catron County, N.M., the first local government to recognize its right to full participation as a decision maker in federal agency decision making processes.

Concerned Citizens Montana seeks to maintain Montana's unique and important lifestyle by empowering local governments and the citizens they serve to have a voice in the decision making process.  The organization serves as a clearinghouse for public information, and unites citizen efforts and resources to ensure NorthWestern Energy, state and federal agencies, and elected officials are representing sound energy policies that are in the best interest of Montanans. CCM currently has approximately 3,000 supporters representing diverse issues, including ranching, small business, tourism, education, historical and cultural resources, government, recreation, real estate, public health and safety, and energy rates.

SOURCE Concerned Citizens Montana