Youthful candidate
25-year-old newcomer seeks state PSC position

By Louisa Barber

Sidney Herald
Published on Friday, March 12, 2010 4:14 PM MST

Kavulla

Travis Kavulla wants voters in Richland County to know he’ll be on their side regarding energy development if elected to the Public Service Commission.

The 25-year-old political newcomer and Great Falls native is running as a Republican and will face Sen. Jerry Black, Shelby, in the primary on June 8.

“I think people are getting a little sick of having their future dictated to them by the western part of the state, which has this idealistic image of what Montana should be,” Kavulla said, who is running in District 1 that spans 19 counties. “I think most people over here realize that people need to use the land or lose it, basically.”

A Great Falls native and Harvard graduate, Kavulla says his lack of experience and youthfulness is advantageous for the position he is seeking. He says he’s right for the job because he’s got a fresh mind that can learn quickly, he’s independent with no prior “baggage” to affect decisions and would be a new voice on the scene.

The Public Service Commission makes sure adequate power service is available to customers at reasonable rates. As commissioner, Kavulla said he will work toward making Montana an energy exporter; that is, taking advantage of states that have so many green laws that they must import energy from others. With a supply of coal to last a “millennium,” Montana has the potential to make billions of dollars shipping power, but there needs to be a transmission network in place. Kavulla said he will be a strong supporter.

“The reality is states like California, Oregon and Washington have enormous electricity demands and simply no resources to produce it themselves,” he said. “So I think Montana and other western states are really well positioned for energy development.”

He will also push for onramps on the upcoming Keystone Pipeline XL, which will decrease the cost “instantly” to produce oil wells and will make it possible to pursue more oil development. If onramps were in place for Richland County, Kavulla believes the county would definitely see an oil boom again.

Kavulla graduated with a degree in history (emphasis in economics) and first went to work for the National Review magazine where he wrote stories on the economic development land use. He then worked as a Gates Scholar for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he traveled around Europe and Africa working on energy development projects.

Kavulla returned to his home state and has since been writing on the side and preparing for commissioner. He’s been involved in the Great Falls City Commission inquiry into Electric City Power and the Southern Montana Electric Co-op.

Kavulla said he recognizes there’s a complacency in the state compared to others (North Dakota, Wyoming and Texas) and attributes that to lack of transmission lines and lack of aggressive state leaders.

The candidate is “pro-coal” and, feeling the frustration in halting coal production, realizes coal is the cheapest option to power Montanans’ and the nation’s homes. Power bills will “sky rocket” if carbon taxes are imposed.

On March 6, Kavulla spoke during the Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner; his speech seemed well received. He welcomes the public to contact him at 406-788-3419 or kavulla@gmail.com. He also has a blog at www.electricityweblog.com.

“I promise I will do my homework, and I’ll be an extremely active advocate for energy development,” he said.

Print this story Post A Comment

Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of the Sidney Herald.

... wrote on Mar 15, 2010 6:42 AM:

" So if consumers will not see a sharp increase in price, who will finance these updates? It has a high potential to bankrupt small cooperatives as it is, now you don't give them an outlet to recoup some of these costs? Wind power is not reliable. A common misconception is that the wind blows every day in Montana. Even if there is enough wind to use them, do they still produce when the wind blow too hard or are they shut down? What is the cost per unit of power produced by these after installation and maintainence is taken into account? Regarding fossil fuels, wouldn't everything else begin to cost more? The way I see it is if we find all these alternatives, fossile fuel prices fall through the floor making them uneconomical to produce, which leads to an overly short supply. Remember that you don't just poke holes in the ground for fun. The cost to drill a single well in this area is several million dollars. How many things do you use everyday that have plastic in them? Guess whats used to make plastic...yeah, the oil thats not being produced anymore. Small supply plus higher demand equals higher consumer prices. Every profitable company that has ever existed passes its expenses on to its customers. If they don't, they don't last long. Jobs? how many wind farms would we have to have in Richland county alone to employ everyone who currently works in the oilfiled? Can that realistically happen? "

edfmarie wrote on Mar 14, 2010 7:48 PM:

" If Mr. Kavulla wants to "advocate for energy development," he'd better do his homework on it. First of all, the carbon cap bills in Congress wouldn't cause energy bills to "skyrocket" because they include provisions to protect consumers from higher costs for the first few years while utility companies increase their efficiency and transfer to clean energy sources. Second, why is he insisting that coal is Montana's only option? Montana was recently ranked 3rd in the nation for wind energy potential. And because of how mechanized the coal and oil industries have become these days, every $1 million we invest in clean energy creates almost 4 times the number of jobs as every $1 million we invest in fossil fuels. Besides, coal development in Montana would endanger other significant sources of state income--especially fisheries, forestry, and tourism, which earn millions annually for this state.

Let's not let coal distract us from the other lucrative energy development options we have. Not only Mr. Kavulla but the national reps in office right now should be advocating for serious *clean* energy development in Montana. "

WRITE A COMMENT

Comments Policy:

All comments transmitted through, or linked from the site, are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such content originated. www.sidneyherald.com encourages our readers to engage in civil discussions about issues. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately, but are reviewed by Herald staff. The Herald cannot edit or change your submissions.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.

NOTE: Comments are limited to 250 Words.

There are some exceptions to the above rules when public figures are involved. We define public figures as individuals who work in the public’s eye and/or are candidates for public office and/or their position is paid with tax dollars.

Thank you for your comments!