Montanans should not be forced to pay monopolies a profit on COVID losses

Most Montanans have suffered losses from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve shipped cattle at low prices, our fairgrounds have taken hits of hundreds of thousands of dollars and restaurants have closed. Our hospitals continue to incur significant financial losses to care for patients while overextending health care workers. Most of us will not be able to make up the setbacks we’ve experienced in the last year.

In contrast, the largest monopoly corporations in Montana want to benefit from the pandemic. NorthWestern Energy, a multi-billion dollar corporation that makes...