The Montana Public Service Commission voted Wednesday to adopt a 28-page investigative report recommending action against Commissioner Brad Molnar, its former president, following a monthslong inquiry into his workplace conduct. The 3-2 vote marks one of the more significant internal accountability actions taken by the five-member regulatory body in recent memory.

The report, produced by the agency's response team, outlines findings that Molnar made repeated and unwelcome sex-based remarks and acted unprofessionally toward colleagues or staff. The narrow margin of the vote — three commissioners in favor, two opposed — signals that the commission itself remains divided over how to handle the matter involving one of its own elected members.

Molnar, who previously served as the PSC's president, is an elected official representing District 5, which covers much of southeastern Montana. Because PSC commissioners are elected statewide by district rather than appointed, the commission's options for formal discipline are more limited than they would be with a typical state employee, a distinction that is likely to shape whatever steps follow the report's adoption.

For Helena residents and Montana ratepayers, the PSC is the body that regulates NorthWestern Energy's rates and oversees utility decisions that land directly on monthly bills. Internal dysfunction at the commission — and the question of whether it can hold its own members accountable — is a practical concern, not just a political one. What formal action, if any, follows Wednesday's vote is the next thing to watch.