PPL Montana and its employees in Billings, Colstrip and Corette pledged nearly $97,000 to United Way of Yellowstone County and have received a top honor from the agency.

"PPL Montana is grateful to the United Way agencies who are working to improve the quality of life in our community by helping others," said Lisa Perry, manager-Community Affairs for PPL Montana. "We humbly recognize that our contribution helps the agencies deliver vital services and provide hope, help and optimism to people in need."

With its pledge of almost $31,000, PPL Montana was the top corporate donor to United Way of Yellowstone County for the second year in a row. Its employees’ total pledge of nearly $66,000 was the second-highest employee pledge this year. The chapter serves Yellowstone and Rosebud counties.

In recognition of its financial support, as well as its volunteer activities, PPL Montana joined 32 other organizations in receiving the chapter’s Circle of Honor award. "We appreciate this award because of who bestowed it, not because of what we did to earn it," Perry said. "PPL Montana becomes a part of something special each time we team up with United Way."

Across the state, the company and its employees have pledged to donate more than $122,000 to United Way agencies. Employees also volunteer thousands of hours each year in support of local organizations and community projects.

In addition to the money the company has pledged to United Way in 2006, the PPL Montana Community Fund will award $200,000 in grants this year to support initiatives focusing on education, the environment and economic development in the state.

PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has electric generating facilities throughout the state with a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. PPL Montana has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena and employs 500 people. The company operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric power plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market. More information about the company is available at www.pplmontana.com.