PPL Montana is helping low-income families who may have a hard time paying their heating bills by donating more than $45,000 to Energy Share, a statewide energy assistance program.
An additional $54,440 in Universal System Benefits funds has been donated to Energy Share by the owners of the Colstrip power plant: PPL Montana, Puget Sound Energy, Avista, NorthWestern Energy, Portland General Electric and PacifiCorp.
Universal System Benefits funds are state-mandated contributions that companies can choose to designate for energy conservation, renewable resource projects and applications, or low-income energy assistance.
“For some of our neighbors, staying warm during winter is a struggle, especially in today’s difficult economy,” said David Hoffman, director of external affairs for PPL Montana. “That’s why we support Energy Share, to help those who need it most protect themselves and their families during these cold, long months.
“It’s our wish that this combined donation of $100,000 from PPL Montana and the Colstrip power plant owners will help,” Hoffman said.
This winter has been especially tough on Montana families. “PPL Montana’s donation will be a lifesaver for more than 255 families,” said Dennis Lopach, president of Energy Share’s board of directors. “Many of the people helped by this donation are seniors living on fixed incomes. Families living on the edge of poverty are frequently put in the position of having to pay their energy bill or having sufficient food for their family.
“PPL Montana and its partners have played a significant role in helping those families stay warm since 2006,” he said.
Based in Helena, Energy Share of Montana is a private nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to help Montanans who don’t qualify for other programs or have exhausted that assistance.
Since its inception in 1982, Energy Share has distributed $10.5 million in energy assistance to more than 34,000 families. Energy Share is funded solely with private and corporate donations and usually is only available once in the life of the recipient. For more information on Energy Share, call 1-888-779-7589.
PPL Montana provides safe, reliable energy from coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL Montana and its 500 employees are dedicated to Montana and its communities, supporting educational, environmental and economic development programs across the state. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power for PPL Montana in wholesale and retail energy markets throughout the western United States. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).