The Missoula City Council meeting on Sept. 17 about the eminent domain lawsuit against Mountain Water Company was focused  mainly on accusations against the Public Service Commission.

At the meeting, attorney’s from the law firm Boone-Karlburg made the case that the Public Service Commission had failed to properly Regulate rate prices and that the PSC had become too friendly with lobbyists from the Carlyle Group. PSC commissioner Bob Lake believes Wednesday’s meeting was just a distraction.

"To blame the commission on the run-up of costs, I find very offensive," Lake said. "For them to make any type of a claim that we are not doing the job that we've been elected to do and that we are not dealing with total and open decision making, is nothing more than the lawyers trying to divert attention away from themselves and the fact that they've got too much money spent."

Lake said that both lobbyists from Carlyle Group and the city of Missoula meet to hold outside meetings. He also stressed that these meetings are with PSC employees, but not the Commissioners themselves.

Bob Lake

 

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