Candidates were asked how they would help Missoula meet climate and energy commitments—including the city goal of 100% clean electricity in the urban area by 2030, the Climate Ready Missoula resilience plan, and collaborative campaigns such as Electrify Missoula.

Justin Ponton said new development should be incentivized to use green energy and called for prioritizing renewable energy in new projects. “We need to make sure we're incentivizing using green energy wherever possible,” he said.

Rebecca Dawson favored an "all-of-the-above" energy approach that includes wind and solar but also stressed lifecycle questions about component recycling and reuse. “Are we able to recycle all of the components? Are we able to reuse the components?” she asked.

Betsy Kraske praised local climate organizations and emphasized relying on local expertise and cross-sector coordination. Lucas Moody raised energy-security concerns tied to growing data-center demand and recommended expanding local solar to reduce reliance on external suppliers.

Why it matters: Meeting municipal climate goals affects utility planning, development standards and potential incentives or mandates that the city may adopt. Financing and implementation choices will interact with other priorities in the municipal budget.

Discussion vs. decisions: Candidates offered ideas and priorities but did not commit to specific ordinances or budget votes at the forum.

Ending: All candidates voiced support for climate action; distinctions centered on the balance of incentives, lifecycle sustainability and the mix of technologies the city should pursue.