Public commenters split on Missoula’s Green Power Program: costs and climate urgency debated

Speakers at the public comment period framed the Green Power Program as either a risky taxpayer exposure or an essential step toward Missoula’s 2030 clean electricity goal.

Brandy Atanasoff (Ward 5) said she opposed the program and warned it would saddle taxpayers with large costs: "This project will cost anywhere between 30 to $50,000,000 when it is done," she said, adding her view that it would require "around 1 square mile of land" and could become another community deficit if voluntary subscriptions fall short. Her comments criticized past economic shifts in the timber industry and tied those concerns to skepticism about ambitious public projects.

By contrast, Judy Matson (reading for Gary Matson) and representatives from environmental groups urged approval. Judy Matson called the GPP "an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of large scale renewable generation in Montana," and Shannon James of the Montana Environmental Information Center urged the city and county to move forward while watching for fair pricing at the PSC. Jackson Crawford (business development and advocacy) and Derek Goldman (Northwest Energy Coalition) highlighted the program’s potential to expand renewable access for renters and institutional customers and to spur local economic activity.

Speakers on both sides asked staff and regulators to clarify pricing, subscription risk and protections for non‑participants; several called attention to the program’s voluntary design and staff statements that non‑participants would not subsidize subscribers.