Following an audit that found falsified financial records at the Montana Public Service Commission, a former PSC chairman is asking Gov. Greg Gianforte to do something no previous executive has
A financial-compliance audit of the Montana Public Service Commission raises concerns about potential waste of state resources, missing documentation and the integrity and competence of certain management personnel.
Citing falsified documentation and lax spending practices at the Montana Public Service Commission, state legislative auditors say there isn’t enough credible information to assess the department’s finances.
TOM LUTEY
There will be an investigation into the Montana Public Service Commissionâs decision not to allow NorthWestern Energy to bill customers $6 million for costs related to a months-long malfunction at Colstrip Power Plant.
The investigation will focus on whether PSCâs decisions about not billing customers for replacement power related to Colstrip shutdowns hurt NorthWestern Energyâs bond rating, as well as how not being billed affected customers.
Most recently, commissioners disallowed customers being billed $6 million for replacement power stemming from 77-days in the summer of 2018 during which Colstrip Units 3 and 4 couldnât meet mercury air toxics standards because of hazardous air pollutant levels. Commissioners concluded that costs were avoidable had NorthWestern managed the situation differently. The decision was made in the fall of 2020 and it resulted in a customer rebate of more than $9 million, in part because NorthWestern had been