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Public commenters ask PSC to send Northwestern's IRP back for rewrite, citing bias toward fossil fuels
Summary
More than two dozen residents and advocacy groups told the Public Service Commission that Northwestern Energy's 2026 IRP is skewed toward coal, gas and speculative nuclear options, omits robust renewable and demand-side scenarios, and should be returned to the utility for a full rewrite.
Dozens of Montana residents, health professionals and clean-energy advocates urged the Public Service Commission to find Northwestern Energy's 2026 integrated resource plan deficient and return it for a rewrite. "This plan is gonna raise my energy bills," said Abby Hugheseth of Climate Smart Missoula, who criticized the IRP's reliance on "fossil gas plants and these unicorn small nuclear facilities that don't actually exist yet."
Speakers across the evening -- from local organizers to physicians and Sierra Club representatives -- repeatedly highlighted three themes: lack of transparency (redacted letters of intent for data centers), modeling that appears to favor fossil resources over wind, solar and batteries, and inadequate treatment of demand-side options. Nick Fitzmaurice of the Montana Environmental Information Center told the commission the IRP "is not a least cost outcome" and urged close staff review under administrative rules.
