City, County to Vote on Key Milestone for Green Power Program
Posted on July 20, 2026
The Missoula County commissioners and the Missoula City Council will hold a joint public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, July 27, to vote on a key milestone for the Green Power Program, an initiative that would allow NorthWestern Energy customers to support and benefit from a new source of renewable energy in Montana, such as a new wind or solar farm.
The county commissioners and city council will decide at the joint hearing whether to adopt the Lead Community Agreement, which is a binding agreement with NorthWestern Energy that outlines roles and responsibilities for the communities and NorthWestern to work together to bring the Green Power Program to the Public Service Commission for review. Elected officials with the City of Bozeman will vote on the agreement on Tuesday, July 21.
The Green Power Program is a key strategy in furthering the communities’ clean electricity goals. The City of Missoula and Missoula County jointly adopted the goal of 100% clean electricity for the Missoula urban area by 2030, and the City of Bozeman also aims to transition to 100% clean electricity by 2030.
“I am thrilled to see all three local governing bodies review and approve the Lead Community Agreement in the coming days,” said Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis. “After years of work together, this marks an important milestone to offer NorthWestern Energy customers in these areas renewable energy if they choose it. Stay tuned for more progress.”
Once all three lead communities adopt the agreement, they would then work with NorthWestern to file the Green Power Program with the PSC this fall. The PSC would need to approve the program for it to move forward.
“This is an important step toward giving more communities, businesses and households the opportunity to choose clean energy,” said Svein Newman, Missoula County’s climate action program manager. “The Green Power Program would be a direct way for customers to subscribe to a new renewable resource, built here in Montana.”
Residents can attend the meeting in person in City Council chambers (140 W. Pine St.) or virtually via Microsoft Teams. The agenda and options to join online will be posted online at: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes.
“This is an important milestone following significant collaboration with the City of Missoula, Missoula County and the City of Bozeman," said Charlie Lane, NorthWestern Energy director of regulatory affairs. "This project originated from a request from these communities, and NorthWestern Energy is excited to move closer with the communities on a solution that addresses their needs while safeguarding safe, reliable affordable service for all customers. The willingness of all parties to work together helped achieve a balanced outcome, and we appreciate the constructive engagement that made this progress possible.”
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