The period for candidates to get their names on the ballot closed Monday afternoon at 5:00 for this year’s midterm elections. A total of 333 candidate filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office before filing closed. Candidates for local offices filed at their county elections offices. Among the final candidates to file was Pu...
PSC Chairman Announces Run For State Supreme Court
Today is the last day to file as a candidate for the 2022 election and Public Service Commission Chairman James Brown announced today his run for Montana Supreme Court Justice Number 2 on the Northern News Network’s Voices of Montana. He said then his upbringing in Dillon make him uniquely qualified for the seat.
New PSC Map Rejected By Supreme Court
A federal court struck down Montana’s current Public Service Commission map because of deviations in populations between districts. Constance Van Kley with Montana-based Upper Seven Law says the PSC serves an important purpose regulating private utility companies that provide services such as natural gas, electricity and water. She says in cas...
Lawyer In PSC Lawsuit Argues Former PSC Map Not Representative To Montana Population
A panel of federal judges has found Montana’s map of Public Service Commission districts unconstitutional. The population between the most and least populated districts is more than 50,000. Constance Van Kley is with Montana-base Upper Seven Law which represented plaintiffs in the suit. She says Montanans vote for PSC members and so the state ...
Panel Rules PSC Map As Unconstitutional
A three-judge federal judicial panel has ruled the current Montana Public Service Commission map violates the one-person one-vote rule of the U.S. Constitution. Tuesday, the justices ordered Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to implement a new map ahead of the 2022 election. It shifts Glacier, Pondera and Musselshell Counties into District 1...
Public Service Commission Breaks Up Garbage Truck Monopoly
The Montana Public Service Commission regulates among other things garbage collection services. Thursday commissioners voted 3-2 to allow Bozeman-based L&L Site Services to enter the Missoula County market. That means the 14-year monopoly on garbage hauling held by Republic Services in Missoula County will soon be coming to an end. L&L...
Secretary Of State Jacobsen Submits PSC Map Per Court Order
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen submitted the state’s proposed five new Public Service Commission districts this week in response to a lawsuit claiming the current ones are unconstitutional but said it shouldn’t be adopted. MTN News Mike Dennison reports she said the lawsuit should be dismissed and the Legislature should draw the bo...
State Representatives Petitioning For Special Legislative Session
Many of Montana’s conservative elected officials are signing onto a letter requesting a special Legislative session to re-draw the five Public Service Commission districts but fewer are agreeing to also address election integrity. Representative Derek Skees.
State Republicans Calling For Special Legislative Session
Governor Greg Gianforte is open to calling a special session of the Legislature to approve new voting districts for electing members of the Public Service Commission. In a letter to lawmakers he said he would limit any special session to handling PSC redistricting only and would make the call if and when the Legislature has demonstrated ample ...
Public Service Commission Moves Forward With Potential Battery Storage Facility
The Public Service Commission has voted to consider NorthWestern Energy plans for the state’s first-ever battery storage facility. The utility will spend an estimated $145 million over the next 20 years as part of a plan to add 350 megawatts of energy capacity.