In the spring of 2022 NorthWestern gave broad publicity to its new commitment of “Net Zero by 2050,” a mantra that is rapidly becoming trite through its wide use by a variety of industries wanting to be seen in in a favorable light by their customers. It is a classic example of “greenwashing,” a false claim of being climate responsible without any defined means of accomplishment. NorthWestern’s net zero announcement was accompanied by its brochure that failed to identify any effective mechanism of decreasing its CO2 emissions. Its resource acquisition plans talk the talk of net zero but walk the walk of more methane plants and continued coal-fired generation. The only means of reducing CO2 emissions from these sources would be by carbon capture and sequestration and by direct removal of the gas from the atmosphere. Despite ongoing efforts to develop these technologies neither has so far shown to be feasible.

Does NorthWestern acknowledge its willful ignorance, NorthWestern gives this response to the observed increase in occurrence of catastrophic weather events: “While there may be people out there who have attributed these conditions to climate change, NorthWestern is not in a position to confirm or deny that they are attributed to climate change, as we have not conducted any analyses.” A shockingly irresponsible statement of deliberate ignorance. Of course, the utility doesn’t have the expertise to research on its own the effects of its emissions on climate change! The entire world’s climate science community has been conducting that research for over 30 years. All NorthWestern needs to do is pay attention!

NorthWestern plans to file its Montana Integrated Resource Plan with the Montana Public Service Commission in December of 2025. The Plan will identify the electrical generation resources that the utility plans to utilize in the future. Energy intensive data centers will more than double the current electricity demand in Montana. NorthWestern will likely attempt to meet this burgeoning power demand by adding fossil-fueled generation, methane and coal. The utility has rejected increasing its reliance upon the renewable resources of wind, solar, and storage on grounds that these resources are more expensive. However, the lower cost of renewable energy is broadly recognized, calling into question the cost elements of NorthWestern’s resource planning model.