Cold snap fuels Montana’s coal power debate

This story is excerpted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday. The record-breaking cold snap Montana saw this month brought days of below-zero temperatures across the state — and with them what major Montana utility NorthWestern Energy said was record-high electric demand from its customers. The arctic blast, and how the state’s energy system responded, triggered a wave of analysis from folks engaged in Montana’s running debate over renewable energy, coal generation and the future of the state’s electric gri