SAMPLE COMMENT TEXT/FORMAT
Note: this sample was borrowed from livableclimate.org.
Dear NorthWestern Energy Leadership,
I am writing today to comment on your 2019 energy procurement plan. I have been a NorthWestern ratepayer for X years. Having reviewed the executive summary, I want to submit the following comments and requests regarding your 2019 procurement plan.
As a ____ (family, household) of Montana ratepayers, my family wants a future where we have reliable and affordable energy. This is very important. However, we also want a future where _____________ (what else do you care about on this issue? Example: where “our economy, health, and quality of life thrive”).
We want a livable future for our family, possible only through renewable energy, and most Montanans want renewables. A 2016 poll found the following:
- 95 percent of voters favored more electricity from wind,
- 87 percent wanted more solar,
- and, when asked how we should replace the retiring coal-fired electricity at Colstrip, 74 percent wanted renewable energy.
My family wants renewables because ___________________. __________________.
(Feel free to write many sentences–a full paragraph–list ALL of your reasons for wanting renewables; things specific to your life, concerns, livelihood such as they are cheaper, cleaner, allow for a livable future, etc)
After reviewing your procurement plan, I came away with the sense that NorthWestern is out of touch: with the realities of climate change, the realities of the cost and effectiveness of renewables, and the desires of its consumers.
To those ends, I want to see the following elements incorporated the 2019 NorthWestern Energy procurement plan:
1. A full analysis on the cost of switching to 100% renewables that incorporates best practices from leaders in the energy sector.
2. An assessment and summary of the risks and costs of climate change to Montana ratepayers including economic, health, and quality of life impacts.
3. NorthWestern’s plan to promote energy conservation during peak load times in summer and winter, with estimated energy savings incorporated into the plan.
4. Results from an expanded public comment process, specifically I would like to see a survey of your Montana ratepayers about their priorities for energy in Montana. This survey should be developed by a third party (perhaps the Montana Consumer Counsel) and include input from NorthWestern Energy, ratepayers, and other stakeholders.
NorthWestern must do better for _______________ (my family’s future, our climate, jobs, etc).
We need a plan and a vision that leads to a livable future for our families—the only future we can afford.
Sincerely,
FULL NAME
CITY