The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) says most utility customers around the state will see reductions in their bills this year, because of property tax changes that lowered costs for energy companies.
The Montana Public Service Commission will investigate how NorthWestern Energy handled power generation and costs during the record cold snap that hit Montana earlier this month.
NorthWestern Energy will need to provide more information to regulators about how well its energy assistance programs are helping low-income customers in the wake of double-digit utility rate increases.
In their letter issued Monday, the governors asked that in lieu of a federal mandate that 2 out of every 3 vehicles be battery electrics by 2032, consumers be left to make their own decisions.
Nick Fitzmaurice writes, "NorthWestern is behind the times, and its focus on expensive, unreliable gas and coal resources is woefully inadequate and misguided."
The race to mitigate climate change has many U.S. communities pledging to curb greenhouse gases with renewable energy sources in the next several decades. The reality of those goals isn't looking so good, researchers say.
Montana's largest power company delivered nearly 1,200 megawatts of electricity at peak hours during the recent Arctic freeze that fell over the state, nearly double what it was producing before the storm.