Montanans are now seeing higher NorthWestern Energy bills following a Public Service Commission decision that increased residential electric bills by 12 percent beginning last February.
Watch PSC vote dispute story here:
But two of the five Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) commissioners say they didn't approve of the final result, and one says he tried to vote no before the final order was issued.
PSC Commissioner Randy Pinocci, R-Great Falls, has filed a formal complaint with the PSC president, saying a vote he believes was a no on a final rate order was changed to a yes.
Click here to read Pinocci's complaint.
PSC leadership disputes this characterization, saying that Pinocci voted on 13 decisions that ended up making up the final order.
At a Nov. 3 Public Service Commission meeting, Broadview resident Kassi Solberg asked Pinocci if his vote on the NorthWestern Energy rate case had been changed from a no to a yes.
After the meeting, Pinocci received a memorandum from Amanda Webster, PSC chief legal counsel, explaining why leadership disagreed with him.
On Sunday, Pinocci emailed Commission President Jeffrey Welborn, R-Dillon, with a complaint, which included his concerns with the memorandum.
Pinocci says he believed he had voted no on the final order so he could review additional evidence.
"Commissioner (Brad) Molnar contacted me and said, 'Hey, look, there's more documents we need to look at, more evidence we need to look at,'" Pinocci said.
Molnar, a Republican, was a commissioner in December of 2025, but was suspended by Gov. Greg Gianforte in June.
PSC leadership has a different interpretation of what those votes meant.
In an email response to Pinocci's complaint on behalf of Welborn, external affairs coordinator Michael Turner said Pinocci voted yes in public on the record when he approved 13 decisions that would make up the final order.
Click here to read Welborn's statement.
Addressing Pinocci later saying his vote was no, Turner wrote that an email does not undo a vote cast in public.
The commission also voted to extend the deadline for the final order and authorized the commission president and vice president to review and approve it.
Former PSC executive director David Sanders disagrees with that process.
He argues all five commissioners should have had an opportunity to vote on the final order.
"That's absurd," Sanders said.
Brad Molnar disputes what his earlier vote meant.
In a December 23, 2025 email to Welborn, Molnar wrote, "Yes, I did vote that staff could include the amendments with minor edits. That is not the same thing as voting yes on the rate increase in the whole."
During the public meeting, Molnar also said all five commissioners should have the opportunity to review it, something with which Sanders agrees.
"If you ask for permission to review something, you want to review it before you vote on final passage," Sanders said.
The final order was ultimately issued and the rate increase approved.
Pinocci is now challenging how his vote was characterized.
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