Montana Regulators Approve 12% Electric Rate Increase

Two of five Public Service Commission members say they did not approve the final order raising NorthWestern Energy residential bills.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Utilities

Montana Regulators Approve 12% Electric Rate Increase

Live Poll

Do you trust your state's utility regulators to make fair electric rate decisions?

The Montana Public Service Commission issued a final order approving a 12 percent increase in residential electric bills for NorthWestern Energy customers, which took effect beginning last February. Commissioner Randy Pinocci has filed a formal complaint with PSC President Jeffrey Welborn alleging his no vote on the final order was recorded as yes.

Why it matters

The dispute raises questions about how commission votes are recorded and verified in a decision that directly affects household electric costs across Montana. Because the final order was approved through a process that two commissioners say they did not endorse, the outcome's legitimacy is itself now under review.

Residential electric bills rose 12 percent under the final order, which Pinocci's 13 recorded votes helped form across the commission's five-member panel. The commission has not resolved whether Pinocci's vote on the order was recorded accurately.

The players

Montana Public Service Commission

The state body that regulates utility rates and approved the 12 percent residential electric increase for NorthWestern Energy customers.

Randy Pinocci

A Montana PSC commissioner from Great Falls who filed a formal complaint alleging his no vote on the final order was recorded as yes.

Jeffrey Welborn

President of the Montana Public Service Commission, based in Dillon, who received Pinocci's formal complaint.

NorthWestern Energy

The electric utility whose residential customers face the 12 percent rate increase approved by the commission.

Brad Molnar

A former PSC commissioner who was suspended by Gov. Greg Gianforte in June, after emailing Welborn about his vote on amendments in December 2025.

The details

Pinocci says he believed he had voted no on the final order so he could review additional evidence, and he filed a formal complaint with Welborn. PSC leadership states Pinocci voted on 13 decisions that made up the final order, and at a Nov. 3 meeting Broadview resident Kassi Solberg asked whether his vote had been changed from no to yes. The commission voted to extend the deadline for the final order and authorized Welborn and the vice president to review and approve it.

December 2025: Brad Molnar serves as a PSC commissioner.
December 23, 2025: Molnar emails Welborn about his vote on amendments.
February 2026: Increased residential electric bills take effect.
June 2026: Gov. Greg Gianforte suspends Molnar.
Nov. 3, 2026: PSC meeting where Solberg questions Pinocci's vote.

Utility Regulation

The dispute centers on the Montana Public Service Commission's statutory power to set NorthWestern Energy's residential rates and the procedures used to certify its final orders. Whether the commission's recorded votes reflect members' actual positions now bears directly on the legitimacy of that rate-setting authority.

Residential customers of NorthWestern Energy are already paying bills that are 12 percent higher under the approved rate order. The unresolved vote dispute could affect how the order is finalized and whether future rate decisions face similar challenges.

The takeaway

Electric customers should watch how rate orders are documented, since the accuracy of recorded commission votes can determine whether a rate increase stands. Residents who want to follow the outcome can track the commission's final order when it is issued.

What happens next

The commission has extended the deadline for the final order, and the president and vice president are authorized to review and approve it; no specific future date has been reported.