Montana Energy Regulators Face Lawsuit Over Climate Risks

17 Organizations Sue Montana Over Climate Change and Energy Decisions

Seventeen organizations have teamed up to take Montana's Public Service Commission to court, arguing that state regulators should be required to consider climate change when making decisions about Montana's energy future.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Missoula County District Court by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of several environmental groups, health organizations, youth advocates, and clean energy supporters.

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Why 17 Organizations Are Suing Montana's Public Service Commission

The Daily Montanan reports that the groups want a judge to rule that the PSC has a constitutional obligation to consider climate-related risks when regulating the state's gas and electric utilities.

This dispute actually goes back to February 2024, when more than 40 organizations and businesses asked the commission to formally recognize that responsibility. The PSC rejected the request in September 2025, and then reaffirmed that decision last month.

The PSC's legal counsel has previously argued that the commission is simply an administrative agency and doesn't have the authority to issue declarations interpreting the state constitution.

The Dispute Over Climate Change Goes Back To 2024

The groups behind the lawsuit say the commission's decisions can have long-lasting consequences for both the environment and what Montana residents pay on their utility bills.

They're pointing to decisions involving fossil fuel power generation, including NorthWestern Energy's Yellowstone County Generating Station near Laurel, as examples of why they believe climate risks need to be considered.

This isn't the first time Montana's constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment has ended up in court. You may remember the Montana Supreme Court's December 2024 ruling in the landmark Held v. State of Montana case, which affirmed that constitutional right.

You can get the full story from the Daily Montanan here.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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Source: Montana Energy Regulators Face Climate Lawsuit

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