Electric Energy Online · September 1, 2026
On August 18, 2026, the Montana Governor's Energy Task Force released its final report, Building Montana's Energy Future: Recommendations and Strategies to Increase the Supply of Affordable and Reliable Energy Options for Montana. The report is intended to help inform decisions by the Governor, state agencies, and the Montana Legislature as the state evaluates options to meet projected energy demand while supporting reliability, affordability, and economic development.
The report identifies opportunities to reduce barriers to development of a broad range of generation resources, including geothermal energy and advanced nuclear technologies, while considering anticipated growth in large electricity load. Recommendations were presented across seven policy areas:
* Reform Utility Regulation
* Strengthen Energy Leadership for Montana
* Advance Regional Markets and Transmission Development
* Drive Economic Development
* Right-size Energy Tax Framework
* Build Innovative, Reliable Power Supply
* Optimize Grid Utilization and Control Consumer Energy Costs
Governor Greg Gianforte established the bipartisan Task Force through Executive Order No. 6-2025 in September 2025 and charged it with developing recommendations to support Montana's energy future. Chaired by Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Sonja Nowakowski, the 20-member Task Force included representatives from state government, the legislature, utilities, energy developers, academia, large energy users, transmission organizations, and other energy-sector stakeholders. The Task Force convened regular public meetings and organized its work through subcommittees focused on generation, transmission and markets, and growing electricity demand. Montana DEQ has also maintained a public-facing Task Force webpage with meeting materials, recording, and an opportunity for public comment throughout the Task Force process.
For more information, please visit Montana DEQ's Governor's Energy Task Force webpage.