News Releases

PPL Montana and the Missouri-Madison River Fund are awarding $510,872 in grants to support public recreation projects along the Madison and Missouri rivers in Montana.

The grants, together with contributions totaling $612,750 from applicants and other partners, will enable eight projects totaling $1,108,622 to be completed in 2008 to support public recreation in the Missouri-Madison project area. PPL Montana will contribute $209,327 next year toward the total award amount.

A list of award recipients for 2008 projects, project descriptions and award amounts can be found at www.apleco.com.

“PPL Montana is proud to support our Montana communities and families by helping to enhance and maintain recreation areas for public enjoyment,” said Jon Jourdonnais, PPL Montana’s director of Hydro Licensing and Compliance.

“Managing these environmental and recreational resources is something we take seriously for the people of Montana,” Jourdonnais said. “Our partnership with the Missouri-Madison River Fund is one way that we help support this important commitment.”

He said these funds are a combination of PPL Montana contributions and matching grants from the Missouri-Madison River Fund, a $7.1 million trust fund for public recreation.

The River Fund was established through the collaborative efforts of PPL Montana; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Bureau of Land Management; Madison, Gallatin, Broadwater, Lewis and Clark, Cascade and Chouteau counties; and other public and private partners.

Created as a public-private partnership to meet public recreation needs along the Madison and Missouri rivers, the River Fund now supports ongoing efforts to protect and enhance this recreation resource. The fund’s project area extends from Hebgen Reservoir downstream to Fort Benton, excluding the Toston and Canyon Ferry hydroelectric projects and the river segment between them.

River Fund awards for qualifying projects will continue annually, with grant awards in December of subsequent years.
 
PPL Montana has cooperated with other agency and private partners in creating this fund to support its responsibilities for public recreation on nine reservoirs under the Missouri-Madison Project 2188 license, issued by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2000. These reservoirs include Hebgen, Madison, Hauser, Holter, and five in the Great Falls area — Black Eagle, Rainbow, Cochrane, Ryan and Morony.

PPL Montana’s support of the River Fund is part of an overall $23 million commitment for recreational and other wildlife, fisheries, habitats and water quality river stewardship projects along a 524-mile portion of the Madison-Missouri River corridor.

PPL Montana provides safe, reliable energy from coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL Montana and its 500 employees are dedicated to Montana and its communities, supporting educational, environmental and economic development programs across the state. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power for PPL Montana in wholesale and retail energy markets throughout the western United States. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL). More information is available at www.pplmontana.com.