The Public Service Commission has approved an unusual service-area agreement for electric service.
This one is between two co-ops – Mountrail-Williams and McLean. Both co-ops serve energy-development areas. Normally, co-ops are not subject to PSC regulation.
"Certainly the genesis of the service-area agreement law, passed a few years ago, was to deal with territorial integrity challenges or issues," said Commissioner Kevin Cramer. "At the same time, the charge of the Public Service Commission is to insure there is not wasteful duplication. And that does seem to carry over to relationships between two cooperatives."
Cramer praised the two co-ops.
"I have to applaud the leadership of both those cooperatives for bringing it to us, and insuring that development in the patch is done in an orderly fashion," said Cramer.