Missoula leaders push 50‑megawatt 'Green Power Program' as opt‑in route to cleaner electricity

Missoula County’s climate action program manager, Feain Newman, told county commissioners the county is working with the city of Missoula, the city of Bozeman and Northwestern Energy on a Green Power Program designed to add roughly 50 megawatts of "new electrons" — renewable generation developed specifically for local subscribers.

Newman said the program would be voluntary: local governments, businesses and households could opt in and subscribe their electricity use to the new resource. He described a design principle that "all of the costs and benefits of the program are kept within the program by subscribers," and said that if the commissioners and partner cities approve the package, staff would file the program with the Montana Public Service Commission. "I'm pretty confident that we could do that as soon as this fall," Newman said.

Why it matters: 50 megawatts would be a substantial, visible addition to local renewables, Newman said, and could equal on the order of thousands of homes' typical usage. The program is intended as a proof of concept that can be replicated and scaled; Newman and commissioners framed it as one tool among many in the county’s climate strategy rather than a complete solution.

What the program would look like: Newman said partners aim to solicit proposals and build a facility — potentially wind or solar with battery capacity — that supplies new renewable energy rather than claiming credit for existing generation. The program is expected to offer a straightforward opt‑in subscription pathway for residential and commercial Northwestern Energy customers. Newman emphasized that the program is voluntary: "If it raises people's power bills, then again, it's a voluntary opt‑in program and people decide whether or not they want to participate."

Next steps and regulatory path: The county's elected body and partner city councils would need to approve terms and conditions before staff files for review at the Montana Public Service Commission. Newman described ongoing technical, legal and insurance work and said the county was functionally aligned with Northwestern Energy on program design.

What remains uncertain: Newman and commissioners acknowledged the project would not by itself reach all local clean‑energy goals. Newman also cautioned that comparative figures he cited — such as roughly 10,000 homes served — were approximate and invited staff to confirm detailed metrics when available.

The commission closed the segment by thanking Newman and indicating the GPP will be brought to the board for consideration in the coming months.