public service commission

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.

Groups filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the new Public Service Commission district map redrawn this year by the Republican supermajority legislature, which they say is gerrymandered to favor Republicans in violation of the state constitution.

This agreement will mean a 28% increase in residential energy rates since August 2022.

Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci was arrested on two felony charges of witness tampering in Cascade County on Friday.

Tschida, of Missoula, is a former Republican legislator who described himself as semi-retired prior to taking the helm of the PSC in January.

Montana is still feeling the effects of energy deregulation — the “worst policy decision in the history of the state” — and it’s at risk of falling behind regional planning efforts when it comes to power.

The Montana Public Service Commission should approve a rate for Montana-Dakota Utilities that translates to a 9.1% increase for residential customers, or $96.09 more a year, according to a PSC staff recommendation released last week.

A bill is headed to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk that redraws the Public Service Commission district lines in a matter that Democrats have criticized as unfairly balancing them to favor Republicans.