Montana Public Service Commission

The Public Service Commission’s District 5 seat is up for election. Voters from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to Helena and parts of Missoula will get to choose who represents them on the board. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy talks with Deputy Editor of the Daily Montanan Keila Szpaller about who’s running and what the race could mean for voters.

Two candidates are vying for the open District 1 seat on the Public Service Commission. This district is the biggest in the state by land and covers much of eastern Montana, from the Rocky Boy’s Reservation to Glendive and Miles City. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy speaks with Keila Szpaller, deputy editor of the Daily Montanan, about the race and what this election may mean for Montanans.

The governor has filled a utility commission seat left vacant after sexual harassment claims against the former commissioner. A judge has ruled that the Montana Republican Party’s new bylaws infringe on state primary elections. The Meta settlement over social media harms to minors will send at least $89 million to Montana.

NorthWestern Energy must go back to the drawing board after state regulators said their 20-year proposal for providing electricity is “deficient.” The utility company has 30 days with an optional extension to return an edited plan.

Bozeman and Missoula declared 100% clean electricity goals in 2019 and have been chipping away at this effort ever since. Now both cities have committed to a new renewable energy plan that gets them closer to carbon neutrality by 2030.

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.

Democratic House candidates try to separate from the pack. Senate Republican candidate Kurt Alme tries to downplay the last-minute maneuver that put him into the race. Senate Democratic candidate Reilly Neill promises to hold President Trump accountable if she's elected. And this may be the last time voters elect members of the state Public Service Commission.

The state’s largest utility is signing agreements to power data centers. But, the details of those agreements have remained unavailable to the public. Now a coalition of climate and energy groups is demanding state regulators release that information.

Amid internal strife at the Montana Public Service Commission, a legislative committee will study reshaping the state’s utility oversight board.

Gov. Greg Gianforte declined to suspend a state public service commissioner from office, but encouraged an internal investigation to continue. Molnar has been accused of harassment and is under investigation by an internal response team.