Success.
When Governor Greg Gianforte established his Unleashing American-Made Energy Task Force in the fall of 2025, he directed its members to focus on increasing the supply of affordable and reliable energy. After all, recent reports suggest the demand for electricity will increase by 20 percent in the next decade given population growth, electrification, and the rise of new and emerging technologies. In the task force’s first meeting, the governor asked our members to meet this challenge head-on by identifying recommendations to increase the supply of reliable power so that Montanans aren’t faced with rising electricity bills.
It’s been nearly a year after that first meeting and the task force has been hard at work conducting research, holding meetings, and talking with Montanans across our state. With this work behind us, the task force is preparing to share our recommendations with the governor. Thanks to the diverse, bipartisan group of stakeholders, including state agencies, industry leaders, and elected officials, we’ve identified more than a dozen recommendations and key strategies to make it easier to produce energy. These durable, evidence-based policy recommendations are the results of working alongside our partners in the legislature and stand out as an achievement of what we can accomplish when the executive and legislative branches work together.
The task force worked closely with members of the Legislature’s Energy and Technology Interim Committee (ETIC), including task force members Senator Chris Pope, D-Bozeman, and Representative Gary Parry, R-Colstrip. At the same time, ETIC tackled an aggressive workplan, diving into legislation to address Public Service Commission (PSC) reform, tariffs and rates for new large customers, and a regulatory framework for geothermal development. As chair of the task force, I am grateful to ETIC, particularly Chairman Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, for inviting our input and updates at his meetings. Intentional, willing coordination allowed complementary work to be done, creating better outcomes for everyone. It also demonstrates government at its best – and Montana’s commitment to bridging political polarization to collaborate and secure Montana’s energy future.
The task force has also identified the need for PSC reform and better defining executive energy functions. We also believe we have an opportunity to strengthen Montana’s position in regional energy markets and better define how utilities and independent power producers serve emerging large-load customers. The recommendations offer a roadmap to how new energy generation might come online in Montana and how that can occur without harming existing customers. While many recommendations will be offered to the legislature to carry forward, several strategies are already in motion. Recently, the governor endorsed the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WestTEC) study and, along with 10 other states, joined the Western Governor’s Transmission Permitting Alignment and Coordination Tast Force, called PACT. This will give Montana a seat at the table to shape where and how new transmission lines are permitted and come online, so our communities have access to a reliable grid and affordable power. Additionally, the state Energy Office, housed in the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, asked to intervene in the NorthWestern Energy Large New Load Tariff case before the PSC. We, like NorthWestern and other stakeholders, want to ensure that new large energy consumers, like data centers or industrial facilities, pay the costs for the energy they need instead of passing those costs onto families and small businesses.
Another mark of success in the task force recommendations is the broad focus of the solutions they have identified. The task force embraced an “all-of-the-above” strategy to energy and focused on consumer affordability and grid reliability rather than partisan divides. The task force fostered consensus on solutions that benefit all Montanans. Recognizing that regional power needs are projected to surge over the next decade, the task force identified critical barriers in energy generation and transmission, resulting in actionable recommendations to bolster the state’s power supply and its access to markets.
By addressing regulatory hurdles and analyzing those issues that often stall responsible energy projects, the task force developed recommendations that provide both producers and consumers with greater market certainty. This collaborative effort ensures Montana can securely anchor itself as a vital energy producer without sacrificing environmental stewardship or affordability.
For the Governor’s Energy Task Force, it may take years to recognize their full success. But thanks to the commitment of its members to Montana and a serious approach to this process, there is plenty to celebrate now. To learn more about the task force and review the detailed recommendations, visit: https://deq.mt.gov/energy/Task-Force.
Sonja Nowakowski serves as the director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and serves as the chair of Governor Gianforte’s energy task force.