The Public Service Commission, which regulates Montana utilities, is closing public comment on NorthWestern Energy’s controversial 20-year plan on July 28.
The proposal has drawn criticism from private citizens and environmental advocacy organizations. They cite the plan’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, increased energy production to accommodate data centers and sticking consumers with bigger bills. NorthWestern says the plan will, “meet the needs of our Montana electric customers reliably, safely and affordably.”
Thursday, President Donald Trump announced a change to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a nonbinding agreement that would make AI companies, not consumers, pay for the electrical development needed for their data centers. So far, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI have signed the agreement.
For the most recent version of NorthWestern’s plan, the PSC only held in-person comment sessions in Helena last week. Electronic or-mail-in submissions are open until the 28th. Online comments can be submitted at the PSC portal using Docket Number 2026.04.026.
