Etech preview: Montana lawmakers briefed on transmission studies and potential PSC reforms

Energy and Technology staff briefed the Environmental Quality Council on Jan. 13 about transmission constraints, ongoing studies and a governor‑appointed energy task force exploring regulatory reforms.

"The Energy and Technology Interim Committee has held three meetings thus far," Griffin Burns, lead staff research analyst, said. Burns described four interim studies (including path-specific transmission studies and S.J. 21 on a regional transmission compact) and a separate AI government-use study (HJ 4). He emphasized high capital costs, long development timelines and regulatory uncertainty as drivers of the transmission problem in Montana.

Burns said task-force conversations include rate design and new large loads such as data centers. He also previewed Northwestern Energy's 2026 integrated resource plan (IRP) and said Etech will receive a sneak peek before public publication. On governance, Burns told the council the task force is discussing whether the state Public Service Commission — currently five elected members — should be restructured into a three‑member appointed body, noting New Mexico’s 2020 ballot reform as a recent example.

Lawmakers asked about PSC involvement in the task force (Burns said the PSC is not currently represented), timelines for rate studies and water use by data centers; Burns said the new rate-structure work had no firm public timeline and that closed‑loop cooling is being discussed in water‑policy forums. No legislative decisions were made at the meeting; Etech staff said they will continue stakeholder briefings and return with findings to committee members.