Montana State Legislature

The 1997 Legislature deregulated Montana’s electric utility industry and established a Transition Advisory Committee (TAC or Committee) to oversee the market restructuring. The Committee was composed of 24 members: 12 legislative members, with House members appointed by the Speaker of the House and Senate members appointed by the President of the Senate; and 12 state agency and public members. The legislators were the only voting members of the Committee. The public and state agency members represent the following groups: the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Legislative Consumer Committee, the Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association, the public utilities, the Public Service Commission, the industrial community, the nonindustrial retail electric consumer sector, organized labor, environmental and conservation interests, a low-income program provider, Montana's Indian tribes, and the electric power market industry.

The TAC was required to meet at least quarterly, but met more often to give adequate attention to the complex issue of utility restructuring. The Committee provided to the Governor and legislative leadership an annual report on the status of restructuring.

The TAC was scheduled to dissolve on December 31, 2007.

Membership and Overview