A coalition of more than 40 organizations and businesses sent a letter to the Montana Public Service Commission on April 16 demanding the commission take up a motion for reconsideration it has left unresolved since October 2025. The underlying petition asks regulators to formally recognize that the Montana Constitution requires them to account for the adverse impacts of climate change in their regulatory work.

The commission rejected that petition on Sept. 2, 2025. The groups filed a motion to reconsider, but the commission postponed action on Oct. 1, 2025, without demonstrating what the letter characterizes as the legally required "good cause" for the delay. Under standard PSC procedure, the commission typically has 20 days to rule on such a motion.

The coalition includes Families for a Livable Climate, the Montana Environmental Information Center, Big Sky Resort, and Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, among others. They are represented by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center. The letter cited intensifying conditions in Montana as evidence of urgency, pointing to extreme drought, early wildfires, and what it described as the warmest — or second or third warmest — January and February on record in 2026 for towns across the state. "Snowpack in the State was below average this winter," the letter noted, and Northwest Montana experienced flooding that triggered a state of emergency and a months-long public health drinking water advisory.

The commission has not publicly responded to the April 16 letter as of the time of reporting. The outcome of the petition could affect how the PSC weighs future utility decisions, including those involving energy generation and infrastructure — questions that directly affect ratepayers across Montana, including here in Lewis and Clark County.