Montana
New group put more than $500K into Montana Public Service Commission race • Daily Montanan
In one Public Service Commission race this week, incumbent Republican Jennifer Fielder walloped her challenger despite an infusion of cash by an independent committee for her opponent late in the campaign.
Independent Elena Evans, who criticized Fielder for supporting recent steep rate increases the PSC approved, had raised significantly more money than Fielder on her own.
Then, an independent committee, the Montana Ratepayers Association, reported raising nearly $500,000 for the race to support Evans and defeat Fielder.
Evans lost her campaign anyway, but the windfall of six figures is an anomaly in these races.
Neither the Montana Ratepayers Association nor its dark money funder, American Jobs and Energy Security, returned requests for comment from the Daily Montanan.
However, a political analyst said the big money may be an attempted warning to the Public Service Commission to reconsider its energy priorities — and a state senator and newly elected PSC member said he fears it is and could affect future campaigns.
State Sen. Brad Molnar, a Republican who also previously served on the PSC, noted the push of money in the race in a news release last week.
He said he wanted to alert Montanans that a “moneyball” awaits commissioners who don’t support the agenda of the funders, citing another donor, the Climate Cabinet Action.
Based in San Francisco, the organization identifies itself as using a “moneyball” approach — identifying and supporting under-the-radar politicians who back climate initiatives. Records show it gave $20,000 to the Montana Ratepayers Association.
The American Jobs group then gave $475,000.
“We do not know the donors’ motives in funding the Montana Ratepayers Association, but plainly it is not open/fair elections or consumer protection,” said Molnar, himself a previous and future Public Service Commissioner, in a statement.
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The Public Service Commission, made up of five commissioners elected by district, has been criticized for approving high rate increases for energy utilities.
Detractors also argue the PSC, currently all Republican, has been slow to encourage more affordable and sustainable power sources for Montana consumers.
Earlier this year, a coalition of 40 businesses and other organizations submitted a formal request asking the Public Service Commission to consider the adverse impacts of greenhouse gas emissions in utility regulation.
The climate petition is pending.
Most of the late push of more than half a million dollars into the race came from the American Jobs and Energy Security group, which lists its purpose as to support clean energy candidates and initiatives.
The group could not be reached for comment through phone numbers and an email address on file with its registration with the Commissioner of Political Practices.
American Jobs and Energy Security reported sending $475,000 later in September and $40,000 later in October to the Montana Ratepayers Association, plus additional in-kind contributions.
The Montana Ratepayers Association reported spending part of the money on “creative testing,” or polling research, and the bulk of it on digital and print advertising to support Evans.
In an interview last Friday, political analyst Lee Banville said large infusions of dark money are unusual in down-ballot races in Montana. However, he said they have taken place before, such as in Montana Supreme Court races.
“We saw it in the ballot initiative to get marijuana legalized,” said Banville, journalism professor and head of the School of Journalism at the University of Montana, of the 2020 effort. “There was a single group that funded the entire thing that we know almost nothing about.”
In this case, Banville said funders might be those who are frustrated by the lack of transition to renewable energy, which the PSC has not been pushing. The money may be a way to “change the conversation,” but be a warning to other commissioners and hopefuls as well.
“‘Maybe you should be taking renewables more seriously,’” Banville said of the possible message.
Prior to the election, however, Banville said Fielder had the advantage in the race regardless, being a Republican with incumbency and plenty of name recognition as a former state legislator.
But Banville also said he wanted to know the true purpose of the Montana Ratepayers Association: “Are they a real organization doing things to protect ratepayers? Or are they serving as a pass-through for money that is otherwise dark?”
The Montana Ratepayers Association is not registered with the Secretary of State’s Office. It did not respond to an email last week from the Daily Montana or a request for comment in a form submitted through its web portal.
The only information on its website is about recent PSC rate hikes, and the only candidates it mentions are Evans, whom it supported, and Fielder, whom it accused of “corporate cronyism.”
In a phone call the day after the election, however, Fielder said she suspects the funds spent to oppose her are “corporate money from entities that tend to profit from PSC decisions.”
But Fielder said she did not know for sure, and regardless, she didn’t see the expenditure as a threat from those who want the PSC to respond to the harmful effects of climate: “I don’t operate that way.”
“I do what is right under the law and in the public interest,” Fielder said. “I do my best, and fortunately, the people have tended to agree with that kind of thinking and have sent me back to continue working for them.”
Fielder had earned 55% of the vote to Evans’ 45%, according to the election results on the Montana Secretary of State’s elections site Thursday.
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In an email to the Daily Montanan about the Montana Ratepayers Association, Evans said she learned about the group from people in her district who received its mailers and shared them with her.
Although she lost, she said she was “overwhelmed” by the response from Montanans — “Trump voters and Harris voters” — who wanted to see change on the PSC.
In a public statement after the election, Evans said she would not stop advocating for “forward-thinking” energy sources and “a better future for our children.”
Besides Fielder and Molnar, one other Republican won his race for the Public Service Commission this week. State Sen. Jeff Welborn, a moderate from Dillon, had 62% of the vote Thursday to Leonard Williams’ 38%.
Welborn said when it comes to energy sources, reliability is key for the people he has talked to during his campaign — to keep refrigerators cold and hospitals open, for instance — even if consumers have to pay a little bit more.
But he said it’s hard to raise money for Public Service Commission races, more so than for legislative races, and the six-figure contribution is striking.
Four- and five-figure campaigns are more commonplace for the PSC.
“I’m here to tell you that it is a big effort to raise even $5,000 one check at a time from donors,” Welborn said.
The groups didn’t insert themselves in his campaign, but Welborn said big money won’t change the way he approaches his decisions regardless: “I’m not going to be bullied or pushed around by any organization.”
Still, he said, the fact that some entity can drop even $100,000 on a PSC candidate — “exponentially” more than candidates can raise on their own — and help them buy 20 times the name recognition is significant. And he said it raises questions.
“What is that expectation for the return on investment?” Welborn said. “And at whose feet does that expectation fall?”
Support, direct and indirect
The groups behind the half a million dollars for PSC candidate Elena Evans, separate from her candidate campaign, did not return calls or emails for comment from the Daily Montanan.
American Jobs and Energy Security lists an address at a Delaware building with a business that registers companies and helps make sure others “stay out of your business.”
It couldn’t be reached by phone last week or this week.
Montana Conservation Voters political director Molly Bell said her organization supported Evans, and it received indirect help from the groups.
In August, a consultant with Ship Creek Group, a creative and political agency in Alaska, contacted Montana Conservation Voters to see if it wanted to pool resources in conjunction with a poll, Bell said.
Ship Creek received support from the Montana Ratepayers Association, funded mostly by American Jobs and Energy Security, according to campaign finance reports.
The consultant on the project did not return a request for comment from the Daily Montanan.
Late last week, Bell said she didn’t know much about the groups that were also wanting to support Evans and clean energy, although she was pleased to hear they shared similar goals.
Bell had hoped to see Evans declare victory, but she said the aim from her organization is a PSC that supports new energy and commissioners who won’t be a “rubber stamp” for the fossil fuel industry.
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A proposed high-voltage transmission project in far East El Paso is raising concerns among residents in the Montana Vista area, as developers work to determine a potential route that could impact private property.
The project, known as Pecos West, is being developed by Grid United and would create a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line connecting El Paso to southeastern New Mexico.
According to the company, the goal is to link major parts of the U.S. electric grid, specifically the Western and Eastern interconnections, allowing electricity to move in both directions between regions. Developers say the project could strengthen energy reliability, expand access to power markets, and help prevent outages during extreme weather.
Grid United also describes Pecos West as a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure investment that could bring jobs, tax revenue, and long-term economic benefits to communities along the route.
However, for residents in Montana Vista, the immediate concern is not the long-term benefits, but what the project could mean for their land.
At a community meeting Saturday morning, several residents were able to voice their concern, telling KFOX14/CBS4 they feel they have not received enough information about the project’s path or timeline, especially as discussions about a preliminary route continue.
“We haven’t got anything from you,” said Armando Rodriguez, president of the Montana Vista Landowners. “Not one quote.”
Others echoed concerns about communication, calling on the company to directly notify homeowners who may be affected.
“You need to go to these houses, give people information, and say this could affect you,” one resident said.
Grid United says the project is still in the planning and development phase, and no final route has been approved.
The company says construction would only begin after securing regulatory approvals and negotiating land agreements with property owners.
Company representatives also emphasized that landowner participation is voluntary.
“Pecos does not have eminent domain,” said Alexis Marquez, community relations manager for the project. “If a landowner does not want it on their property, we would look at alternate routes.”
Developers say outreach will continue as planning progresses, but residents are asking for more direct communication now, especially those who believe they could be directly impacted.
The project is not expected to be completed anytime soon, with Grid United estimating that Pecos West could become operational in the mid-2030s if approved.
For now, the conversation in Montana Vista reflects a familiar tension seen in large infrastructure project, balancing long-term regional benefits with local concerns about transparency, property, and community impact.
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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Following widespread neighborhood concerns first reported by KTSM 9 News on Friday, residents of the Montana Vista area came face-to-face with developers of the proposed “Pecos West” transmission line project on Saturday morning, May 9 during a community meeting held at the Montana Vista Community Center.
The multi-million dollar project, spearheaded by power grid developer Grid United, aims to build a massive transmission line connecting the El Paso area to southeastern New Mexico.
While developers tout the project as a crucial link to prevent grid bottlenecks, families living in the path of the proposed line continue to voice mounting frustration and distrust over how the land acquisition is being handled.
On Friday, Grid United released a statement to KTSM insisting their one-on-one land negotiations were conducted out of respect for private property rights. But at Saturday’s community gathering, residents and advocates made it clear they aren’t buying it.
“People are afraid. I’m not afraid. I’m angry,” said Armando Rodriguez, president of the Union of Montana Vista Landowners, who previously said that developers had been quietly approaching his neighbors for months with varying buyout offers.
Only about a dozen residents and advocates attended the weekend meeting, but they loudly questioned why the company spent the past year approaching landowners individually rather than addressing the community as a whole.
During the exchange, project officials admitted they have already acquired about 50 percent of the properties in the impacted area. Grid United later clarified to KTSM that the exact number fluctuates frequently, just like the proposed route.
Community organizers argued that the company’s isolated approach leaves residents vulnerable and misinformed.
“When a company like this turns up and says, ‘We’re going to buy your property.’ We must ensure that community members understand that they have the right to say no, or that they have the right to negotiate a higher value,” said Veronica Carbajal, an organizer with the Sembrando Esperanza Coalition.
Carbajal highlighted that the lack of widespread notification and a standardized compensation formula is creating deep unease.
“They’ve already bought properties, but they have not established notification to every resident that will be impacted, nor have they set up a formula for compensation,” Carbajal said. “So what we can see online through the title transfers is that there is a very wide distinction between how much people are being paid. We don’t want the community to be divided. We also want people to understand that this is voluntary. They do not have to sell if they don’t want to.”
A major point of contention at Saturday’s meeting was the threat of eminent domain. Grid United explained that, as a private company, they do not possess eminent domain authority, insisting that if a landowner refuses to sell, the company will simply find an alternative route.
“At Pecos West we’re very landowner-first approach,” said Alexis Marquez, Pecos West community relations manager. “So if a landowner does not want (the transmission line) on the property, then we would find alternative routes.”
But Rodriguez remains highly skeptical that the developers would simply walk away from targeted plots.
“A corporation as big as you, a multi-million dollar corporation, I find it hard to believe that you would invest money into something this big and just walk away if the family said, ‘No, I don’t want to sell it,’” Rodriguez told officials during the meeting. “The question is: Are you really serious about what you’re saying here? Or is this just another dog and pony show?”
Project leaders conceded they need to adjust their efforts in engaging and informing the community, promising more meetings to come. However, residents emphasized that trust is currently broken and will only be rebuilt with concrete action.
El Paso County Commissioner Jackie Butler, who helped organize the meeting, said the County has no power to halt the proposed project, but she said she has been communicating with project officials and is trying to connect them with community advocacy organizations.
“I learned very quickly that the County does not have any authority or permitting process to stop these kinds of projects. And so that’s when I started connecting Pecos West to community members so that they could get directly involved,” Butler said. “My questions to Pecos West have been, Why do you have to come through our community? And even if you have to build through our region, you should go around it.”
Moving forward, the residents in attendance made it clear they do not intend to sell their property. They are demanding Grid United bring all impacted neighbors to the table as a collective before any more land is purchased.
If the project continues to move forward, construction is not expected to begin until the mid-2030s.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 8 drawing
09-14-18-20, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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