NorthWestern Energy drafts bill to shield Montana utilities from wildfire liability

Since 2018 millions of home insurance contracts have been dropped as companies like State Farm and lobbyists like the American Property Casualty Insurance Association acknowledge humanity's role in a burning planet. 

Now, as utilities scramble to avoid liability for wildfires, insurance companies are bilking homeowners in the wildland urban interface and denying coverage interfering with mortgages, real estate values and property ownership. NorthWestern Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric, Xcel, Black Hills Energy, Hawaiian Electric Company and Public Service of New Mexico or PNM are all responsible for massive blazes causing billions in damages. 

In 2021 power lines owned by NWE caused a wildfire that destroyed most of Denton, Montana and liability lawsuits from that incident are still being litigated. Drafted in part by NWE, Kalispell Earth hater Amy Regier is lead sponsor of Montana House Bill 490 that would protect utilities from liability for wildfires they start.

Some of the state’s largest insurance companies also spoke against the bill, because it would make it harder for them to recover costs associated with fire damages. They said that could ultimately lead to homeowners paying higher premiums, or could cause companies to stop insuring homes in Montana. The state auditor’s office opposed the bill for similar reasons. [Bill would shield utility companies from wildfire liability]

A wildfire sparked by a distribution line owned by Mountrail-Williams Electric Co-op killed two people in North Dakota in 2024. Power lines owned by Southern California Edison are being blamed for the Eaton Fire.

On Monday Democratic former South Dakota legislator, Nick Nemec told an interested party that a wildfire in his part of Hyde County right now would be catastrophic. 

The grassland fire danger index will be in the extreme category Tuesday for much of South Dakota and Nebraska.