Republicans sweep Montana PSC races

Republicans have swept the Montana Public Service Commission election, winning each of the three seats open this cycle and maintaining the GOP's domination of the commission.

Commissioners are tasked with balancing the financial health of investor-owned utilities with the interests of their customers, who cannot shop for other providers.

During this election cycle, voters in many of Montana's largest cities - Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Butte and Helena - were asked to choose between seasoned Republican politicians and political newcomers.

Major campaign issues ranged from recent electricity rate hikes authorized by the current commission to the fate of Colstrip's coal-fired power plant amidst uncertainty surrounding federal pollution regulations to how the commission should approach a petition asking the PSC to incorporate climate impacts in its regulatory role.

DISTRICT 2

Montana Sen. Brad Molnar, who has more than three decades of political experience, secured a 21 percentage-point victory over Susan Bilo, a Bozeman-based energy professional. District 2 covers south-central Montana, including most of Billings and part of Bozeman.

Bilo conceded the race to Molnar Wednesday morning, noting as much in a short email to MTFP.

Molnar told Montana Free Press that Bilo had congratulated him on his victory, which he described as a first in his 34-year political career.

"I lost a couple, and I won a lot. She is the only [opponent] that had enough class to say congratulations and I wish you well," he said of his call with Bilo.

Molnar added that he's looking forward to familiarizing himself with the regulatory matters currently before the commission. A mid-November meeting where he'll have the opportunity to ask questions of agency staffers familiar with those dockets will help with that goal, he said.

"A lot of the hearings are being done by the sitting commission and the new commission will be the one casting votes," he said. "There will be a strong effort to get us up to speed."

Molnar launched his political career more than three decades ago, serving in both houses of Montana's Legislature and two terms on the PSC. In May, the Laurel resident told MTFP that he was motivated to run for the seat to "win the fights I can win in the battle that is the biggest battle in Montana that nobody recognizes."

In recent months, he said he's been troubled by the commission's decision not to challenge federal regulations aimed at clamping down on carbon dioxide emissions and toxic pollution associated with fossil fuel combustion. He's also advocated for a policy structure that would allow willing investor-owned utilities to transition to cooperatively owned utilities - a shift, he said, that would give Montanans more control over their energy future and bills.

Susan Bilo, who formerly worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and currently teaches courses on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at Gallatin College, made clean energy a cornerstone of her campaign. She argued that solar and wind projects have not been given fair consideration because commissioners "are not open to current, factual, updated information in their decision-making."

She'd said she's concerned that as a result Montana would be "left behind" in the energy transition. Earlier this year, Bilo testified in favor of a petition asking the PSC to incorporate climate-related impacts in its regulatory work in the wake of last year's ruling in the Held v. Montana youth climate lawsuit.

DISTRICT 3

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Associated Press called the District 3 race for Jeff Welborn, a termed-out state senator from Dillon who owns a trailer dealership.

In an emailed statement, Welborn said he's humbled by the race's result and appreciates the support he received.

"As I look forward to the important work at the Public Service Commission, I will continue to reach out, as I always have, to qualified folks, to help me better understand the complex issues the agency is charged with," he said. "Montanans can rest assured that I look out for their bottom lines, I will bring people together, and I will advocate for policies that keep Montana energy reliable, affordable and abundant."

Earlier this year, Welborn told MTFP he ran for the seat to protect energy consumers against unfair rate hikes and ensure that agricultural interests and concerns are represented on the commission.

Welborn said he ran his campaign "in a civil and straightforward manner," and thanked his Democratic opponent Leonard Williams "for doing the same."

Williams, a journeyman electrician and labor organizer who lives in Butte, congratulated Welborn on his victory and underscored his hope that incoming commissioners ensure that Montana-generated electricity serves its residents.

"I think [we need to] make sure that we take care of our own energy needs here and realize what we have here in Montana," he told MTFP.

Williams said he was motivated to run by the 28% NorthWestern Energy electricity rate hike the commission authorized in October 2023 - an increase, he said, that has created a financial hardship for Montanans living on low or fixed incomes.

DISTRICT 4

The closest of the three PSC races was held in District 4, where voters sent incumbent Jennifer Fielder back for a second four-year term on the commission.

District 4 encompasses the far northwestern corner of Montana, including parts of the Missoula, Bitterooot and Flathead valleys. Fielder garnered 55% of the vote to Elana Evans' 45%.

Fielder is the current commission vice chair and a former Montana senator who lives in Thompson Falls. She pitched to voters that she's an experienced and careful regulator who helped turn the PSC's reputation around following a period of commission infighting that culminated in a pair of lawsuits and a handful of staff departures.

​​"It's a much, much better state agency now than it was four years ago," Fielder told MTFP in October. "I was honored and privileged to be able to lead the strategic planning and the internal policy reforms and the reorganization of the agency, and it's really rewarding to see it pay off."

In a message posted to her website, Fielder expressed appreciation for the outcome and hope that Montanans will work together to meet the state's challenges with open minds.

"I'm grateful for every voter who was able to exercise discernment in the face of intense deception and hateful rhetoric pushed by my opponent, the democrat party network and the anonymous dark money donors who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars backing her," Fielder wrote.

Evans secured a spot on the ballot by meeting-and considerably exceeding - the qualified voter signature-gathering threshold to run as an independent.

Evans said she decided to run for the seat after learning that Fielder's candidacy would be unopposed and out of a desire to bring more scrutiny to NorthWestern Energy, which serves approximately two-thirds of Montana's residents.

"[The rate hike] directly impacted my family, and that's why I set stuff aside and did all of the work to get on the ballot as an Independent," Evans told MTFP in October.

In an emailed statement, Evans said her candidacy "has always been about placing regular people above political parties" and highlighted the "158 volunteers from Stevensville to Libby [who] helped gather and submit over 6,000 signatures to give voters and Independent choice on the ballot."

"I won't stop fighting for Montanans over monopolies. I won't stop fighting for candidates who have the independence to do what's right. I won't stop fighting for a better future for our children. And I need you to fight for hope as well," Evans wrote in her email.

This is likely the last time voters will use the current PSC district boundaries. Earlier this year, a Helena judge deemed the map likely unconstitutional but denied a request for preliminary injunction that had been filed by citizens concerned about gerrymandered districts.