Cut Bank's Cutting Edge Energy

On January 27, engineers energized the 75 MW Glacier Battery System near Cut Bank for the first time. All of Montana's Congressional delegation celebrated that this battery storage project will, as Senator Sheehy put it, make "Montana energy affordable, accessible, and reliable again." Indeed, this battery project will strengthen economic growth by improving grid reliability and allowing more affordable-but-intermittent renewable energy to connect to the grid.

Projects like this show what is possible when investment, technology, and leadership align. However, if Montana is to realize its energy potential, we must also address one of the biggest barriers to progress: permitting and transmission infrastructure. Without sufficient transmission capacity and more efficient permitting processes, many clean energy projects across our state will struggle to connect to the grid.

I urge Senators Sheehy and Daines and Congressmen Downing and Zinke to prioritize comprehensive energy permitting reform that accelerates transmission development and battery storage projects like Glacier.

Glacier Battery System is the first utility-scale battery energy storage project in Montana. It's worth celebrating. And it should just be the beginning.

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By Nate Marshall: February 24, 2026 - Great Falls, Mt