Data

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Energy Indicators
Demography	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period
Population	1.0 million	0.3%		2016
Civilian Labor Force	0.5 million	0.3%		Jun-17
Economy	Montana	U.S. Rank		Period
Gross Domestic Product	$ 46.0 billion	49		2016
Gross Domestic Product for the Manufacturing Sector	$ 3,622 million	46		2016
Per Capita Personal Income	$ 42,386	39		2016
Vehicle Miles Traveled	12,345 million miles	42		2015
Land in Farms	59.8 million acres	2		2012
Climate	Montana	U.S. Rank		Period
Average Temperature	44.6 degrees Fahrenheit	44		2016
Precipitation	16.9 inches	45		2016

Prices
Petroleum	Montana	U.S. Average		Period	find more
Domestic Crude Oil First Purchase	$ 42.48 /barrel	$ 45.19 /barrel		May-17
Natural Gas	Montana	U.S. Average		Period	find more
City Gate	$ 3.61 /thousand cu ft	$ 4.38 /thousand cu ft		May-17	find more
Residential	$ 8.07 /thousand cu ft	$ 13.21 /thousand cu ft		May-17	find more
Coal	Montana	U.S. Average		Period	find more
Average Sales Price	$ 17.44 /short ton	$ 31.83 /short ton		2015
Delivered to Electric Power Sector	W	$ 2.12 /million Btu		May-17
Electricity	Montana	U.S. Average		Period	find more
Residential	11.29 cents/kWh	13.02 cents/kWh		May-17	find more
Commercial	10.46 cents/kWh	10.58 cents/kWh		May-17	find more
Industrial	5.00 cents/kWh	6.81 cents/kWh		May-17	find more

Reserves & Supply
Reserves	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Crude Oil (as of Dec. 31)	326 million barrels	1.0%		2015	find more
Expected Future Production of Dry Natural Gas (as of Dec. 31)	692 billion cu ft	0.2%		2015	find more
Expected Future Production of Natural Gas Plant Liquids	15 million barrels	0.1%		2015	find more
Recoverable Coal at Producing Mines	817 million short tons	4.5%		2015	find more
Rotary Rigs & Wells	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Rotary Rigs in Operation	8 rigs	0.4%		2014
Natural Gas Producing Wells	5,655 wells	1.0%		2015	find more
Production	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Total Energy	1,087 trillion Btu	1.2%		2015	find more
Crude Oil	1,745 thousand barrels	0.6%		May-17	find more
Natural Gas - Marketed	57,421 million cu ft	0.2%		2015	find more
Coal	41,864 thousand short tons	4.7%		2015	find more
Capacity	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period
Crude Oil Refinery Capacity (as of Jan. 1)	214,700 barrels/calendar day	1.2%		2017
Electric Power Industry Net Summer Capacity	6,196 MW	0.6%		May-17
Total Utility-Scale Net Electricity Generation	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Total Net Electricity Generation	2,157 thousand MWh	0.7%		May-17
Utility-Scale Net Electricity Generation (share of total)	Montana	U.S. Average		Period
Petroleum-Fired	*	0.3 %		May-17	find more
Natural Gas-Fired	1.7 %	30.0 %		May-17	find more
Coal-Fired	34.0 %	29.0 %		May-17	find more
Nuclear	0 %	19.1 %		May-17	find more
Renewables	61.4 %	20.8 %		May-17
Stocks	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Motor Gasoline (Excludes Pipelines)	300 thousand barrels	1.9%		May-17
Distillate Fuel Oil (Excludes Pipelines)	1,233 thousand barrels	1.0%		May-17	find more
Natural Gas in Underground Storage	199,519 million cu ft	2.8%		May-17	find more
Petroleum Stocks at Electric Power Producers	W	W		May-17	find more
Coal Stocks at Electric Power Producers	W	W		May-17	find more
Production Facilities	Montana
Major Coal Mines	Spring Creek Coal Company / Spring Creek Coal LLC, Rosebud Mine&crusher/Conveyor / Western Energy Company, Bull Mountains Mine No 1 / Signal Peak Energy LLC, Absaloka Mine / Westmoreland Resources Inc.				find more
Petroleum Refineries	Calumet Montana Refining (Great Falls), Cenex Harvest States (Laurel), ExxonMobil Refining & Supply (Billings), Phillips 66 Company (Billings)				find more
Major Non-Nuclear Electricity Generating Plants	Colstrip (PPL Montana LLC) ; Noxon Rapids (Avista Corp) ; Libby (USCE-North Pacific Division) ; Silver Bow Generation Plant (CES Acquisition Corp) ; Hungry Horse (U S Bureau of Reclamation)
Nuclear Power Plants	None				find more

Distribution & Marketing
Distribution Centers	Montana
Petroleum Ports	None				find more
Natural Gas Market Hubs	None
Major Pipelines	Montana				find more
Crude Oil	Amoco, Belle Fourche, Cenex, Conoco, Exxon, Portal, Shell, Texaco, Wascana.
Petroleum Product	Phillips 66 Pipeline
Natural Gas Liquids	None
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines	Bison Pipeline LLC, Northern Border Pipeline Company, WBI Energy Transmission Inc
Fueling Stations	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period
Motor Gasoline	498 stations	0.4%		2014
Liquefied Petroleum Gases	51 stations	1.6%		2017
Electricity	31 stations	0.2%		2017
Ethanol	0 stations	0.0%		2017
Compressed Natural Gas and Other Alternative Fuels	2 stations	0.2%		2017

Consumption & Expenditures
Summary	Montana	U.S. Rank		Period
Total Consumption	391 trillion Btu	44		2015	find more
Total Consumption per Capita	379 million Btu	14		2015	find more
Total Expenditures	$ 4,337 million	46		2015	find more
Total Expenditures per Capita	$ 4,202	13		2015	find more
by End-Use Sector	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period
Consumption
»  Residential	81 trillion Btu	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Commercial	75 trillion Btu	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Industrial	125 trillion Btu	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Transportation	111 trillion Btu	0.4%		2015	find more
Expenditures
»  Residential	$ 810 million	0.3%		2015	find more
»  Commercial	$ 705 million	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Industrial	$ 610 million	0.3%		2015	find more
»  Transportation	$ 2,212 million	0.4%		2015	find more
by Source	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period
Consumption
»  Petroleum	31.5 million barrels	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Natural Gas	72.7 billion cu ft	0.3%		2015	find more
»  Coal	10.6 million short tons	1.3%		2015	find more
Expenditures
»  Petroleum	$ 2,717 million	0.4%		2015	find more
»  Natural Gas	$ 404 million	0.3%		2015	find more
»  Coal	$ 309 million	0.8%		2015	find more
Consumption for Electricity Generation	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Petroleum	3 thousand barrels	0.2%		May-17	find more
Natural Gas	352 million cu ft	*		May-17	find more
Coal	510 thousand short tons	1.0%		May-17	find more
Energy Source Used for Home Heating (share of households)	Montana	U.S. Average		Period
Natural Gas	54.6 %	48.6 %		2015
Fuel Oil	1.2 %	5.6 %		2015
Electricity	22.0 %	37.2 %		2015
Liquefied Petroleum Gases	11.9 %	4.8 %		2015
Other/None	10.3 %	3.8 %		2015

Environment
Renewable Energy Capacity	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Total Renewable Energy Electricity Net Summer Capacity	3,411 MW	1.7%		May-17
Ethanol Plant Operating Production	0 million gal/year	0.0%		2017
Renewable Energy Production	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Utility-Scale Hydroelectric Net Electricity Generation	1,151 thousand MWh	3.6%		May-17
Utility-Scale Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Net Electricity Generation	173 thousand MWh	0.6%		May-17
Utility-Scale Biomass Net Electricity Generation	1 thousand MWh	*		May-17
Distributed (Small-Scale) Solar Photovoltaic Generation	2 thousand MWh	0.1%		May-17
Ethanol Production	0 Thousand Barrels	0.0%		2015
Renewable Energy Consumption	Montana	U.S. Rank		Period	find more
Renewable Energy Consumption as a Share of State Total	30.6 %	5		2015
Ethanol Consumption	1,269 thousand barrels	42		2015
Total Emissions	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Carbon Dioxide	32.0 million metric tons	0.6%		2014
Electric Power Industry Emissions	Montana	Share of U.S.		Period	find more
Carbon Dioxide	18,136 thousand metric tons	0.9%		2015
Sulfur Dioxide	13 thousand metric tons	0.5%		2015
Nitrogen Oxide	19 thousand metric tons	1.0%		2015

Analysis



Last Updated: January 19, 2017

Overview

Montana is a net supplier of energy to the rest of the country, producing energy from both fossil and renewable resources.^1,2,3 About one-fourth of the nation's demonstrated coal reserve base is in Montana, and the northern and eastern areas of the state are believed to contain large deposits of crude oil and natural gas.^4,5,6

The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States and the fourth longest in the world.⁷ Beginning in the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and flowing eastward across the state, the Missouri River and its tributaries give Montana substantial hydroelectric energy resources.^8,9,10 The state's western mountains capture warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean, creating a more moderate climate in the western third of Montana than further east, where the Rocky Mountains give way to dry, wind-swept plains that stretch to the Dakotas.^11,12 The state's vast plains provide Montana with some of the best wind potential in the nation.¹³

Montana is the fourth largest state in the nation and the third least densely populated.^14,15 Much of the eastern third of the state has, on average, less than one resident per square mile.¹⁶ Montana's population is clustered in and around a few towns, mainly in the valleys of the Missouri River and its tributaries.¹⁷

Montana's early economy was built around mining, ranching, wheat farming, and timber. After World War II, spurred by such popular destinations as Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, tourism increased. In 1970, tourism surpassed mining, becoming the second largest industry in the state after agriculture.¹⁸ In 2014, the service sector—including real estate, health care, the hospitality industry, and government—was the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product (GDP), but natural resources and mining continue to be significant contributors.¹⁹

The mining; crude oil and natural gas production; petroleum refining; and agricultural industries are all energy-intensive. Those industries, as well as long travel distances within the state, place Montana's per capita energy consumption among the top one-third of all states.²⁰ The transportation and industrial sectors lead state end-use energy consumption, together accounting for three-fifths of the state's total. Summer days can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the plains and winter can bring Arctic blasts with subzero temperatures. Despite the temperature extremes, Montana's small population results in a residential sector that uses far less energy than other end-use sectors in the state.^21,22

Petroleum

At the end of 2015, Montana had almost 1% of U.S. proved petroleum reserves, but potential recoverable resources in the state could be much greater.^23,24 Montana produces nearly 1% of the nation's crude oil.²⁵ Production is concentrated in the northeastern part of the state near the North Dakota border.²⁶ Montana's Elm Coulee field was initially the most prolific oil field in the Williston Basin, a geologic basin that spreads from eastern Montana into North Dakota and Canada.²⁷ However, as drilling activity moved to North Dakota where the productive Bakken Shale formation is thicker, the state's oil production declined from its 2006 peak.^28,29 Recently, production rebounded as drilling activity increased in northeastern Montana's portion of the Williston Basin.³⁰

Montana has four operating oil refineries with a combined crude oil-processing capacity of about 203,000 barrels per day. Three refineries are in the Billings area, and one is in Great Falls.³¹ Those refineries receive crude oil mainly from Canada and Wyoming and produce a wide range of refined products, including motor gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels, aviation fuels, butane, propane, petroleum coke, and asphalt. Pipelines and railroads are used to ship crude oil into, and refined products out from, the refineries.^32,33,34,35

Several pipelines carry Montana crude oil to refineries in other states as well.³⁶ New production in the region has been constrained by the lack of pipeline takeaway capacity. A number of new pipeline projects are in development, primarily to transport crude oil to major refining centers in the Midwest, in Oklahoma, and on the Gulf Coast.³⁷ The transport of crude oil by rail increased as an alternative to pipeline shipment. However, crude-by-rail volumes have decreased since mid-2015, as production in the region has slowed.^38,39,40

Although Montana's total petroleum consumption is low compared with that of other states, it is among the top 10 states on a per capita basis.^41,42 The transportation sector consumes almost two-thirds of the petroleum used in the state.⁴³ During the winter months, federal air quality standards require oxygenated motor gasoline use in the Missoula area.^44,45 The state requires the use of motor gasoline blended with 10% ethanol.⁴⁶ Montana has no ethanol refineries, although one has been proposed that would use wheat and barley as its feedstocks.^47,48 Ethanol is brought in from nearby states and blended with conventional motor gasoline at two locations in the state.⁴⁹ The industrial sector is the second-largest consumer of petroleum, accounting for about one-fourth of the state's use. The residential sector, where 1 in 10 households heat with fuel oil, and the electric power sector consume almost all the rest.⁵⁰

Natural gas

Natural gas production in Montana is less than half of what it was at its peak in 2007.⁵¹ In 2015, the state produced less than 0.2% of the nation's natural gas.⁵² Production from natural gas wells and coalbed methane wells in the state has trended downward in recent years as exploration activities have focused on drilling for oil rather than for natural gas.^53,54 More than three-fourths of the producing natural gas wells in Montana are located in the northern part of the state, near the Canadian border. Production also comes from wells in smaller fields in the Williston Basin in northeastern Montana near the North Dakota border and from wells in south-central Montana.⁵⁵

Montana is crossed by natural gas pipelines from Canada and Wyoming.⁵⁶ Almost all the natural gas entering the state comes from Canada, crossing the border at 10 import points.^57,58 In 2015, about one-fourth of the nation's net natural gas imports from Canada entered the country through Montana.^59,60 Nearly all the natural gas that enters Montana-more than 95%-leaves the state, most of it continuing on to North Dakota on its way to Midwestern markets.⁶¹ Some of the natural gas entering Montana is put in storage. The state has more underground natural gas storage capacity than any other state in the Rocky Mountain region, and the Baker/Cedar Creek field in the Williston Basin in eastern Montana is the nation's largest single underground natural gas storage facility.^62,63

More than half of Montana households use natural gas as their primary energy source for home heating.⁶⁴ Overall, natural gas consumption is fairly evenly divided among the industrial, residential, and commercial sectors. Only a small amount of natural gas is used for electricity generation. Despite cold winters that can be especially harsh in eastern Montana, the state's per capita natural gas use is below the national average.^65,66,67 Although Montana is among the five states with the lowest total natural gas consumption, residents use more natural gas than the state produces, making Montana a net consumer.^68,69

Coal

Montana produces almost 5% of the nation's coal from just half a dozen mines. Most of the state's coal production comes from several large surface mines in the Powder River Basin in southeastern Montana.^70,71 One of Montana's largest coal mines, the Rosebud surface mine, supplies almost all its production to the state's largest electricity generating station, the coal-fired power plant at Colstrip, Montana.^72,73,74 Almost all the coal used in the state fuels electricity generation and is delivered to generating plants by conveyor. In 2015, about one-fourth of the coal mined in Montana was consumed in the state, and all but a small fraction of that coal was used to generate electric power. About half of Montana's coal production was sent by rail to other states in 2015. The remaining one-fourth of Montana production was exported to western Canada, where much of it continued on to Asia.^75,76,77,78

Montana has the nation's largest estimated recoverable coal reserves and holds one-fourth of the nation's demonstrated coal reserve base.⁷⁹ However, demand for coal has been declining because of competition from natural gas, decreasing coal exports, and regulatory and permitting challenges.^80,81,82 U.S. electricity generators have retrofitted many coal-fired generating plants with emission controls that allow use of higher-sulfur coal, thereby reducing demand for Montana's low-sulfur Powder River Basin coal.⁸³

Electricity

More than half of Montana's net electricity generation comes from coal, but new federal environmental rules are affecting coal-fired generation.⁸⁴ In 2015, one of Montana's older coal-fired power plants was shut down. The owner cited the projected costs of new pollution controls needed to meet federal restrictions on emissions of mercury and other toxins produced by burning coal.⁸⁵ Montana is hosting a test of carbon sequestration in a formation near the state's Canadian border, which could help coal-fired power plants reduce the impact of carbon emissions.⁸⁶ Five coal-fired power plants remain in operation in the state.⁸⁷ Most of the rest of Montana's electricity generation comes from hydroelectric power plants. Wind and natural gas-fired power plants provide additional electricity generating capacity, with wind providing the largest share of the additional generation.^88,89

Montanans use about half of the electricity generated in the state.⁹⁰ The rest is sent to other western states by high-voltage transmission lines. Generating more electricity for sale in other states is seen as an economic opportunity for Montana, but current transmission lines are congested, and new capacity must be built to expand sales. Most of Montana is part of the Western Interconnection grid serving western states and Canadian provinces.⁹¹ Several transmission projects are being developed to increase capacity to move electricity from both conventional and renewable sources out of Montana to states in the west and southwest. Construction of a line between Montana and Alberta, Canada, was completed in 2013. It is the first direct interconnection between the two areas.⁹² A portion of eastern Montana is part of the eastern U.S. grid. One of the nation's eight converter stations that connect the eastern and western grids is located at Miles City, Montana.^93,94

Montana deregulated its electricity system starting in 1997, but the state experienced rising retail electricity costs and later re-regulated some aspects.⁹⁵ In 2015, the state's average retail electricity prices were well below the national average, and the average price of electricity for all customers in Montana was less than in two-thirds of the states.⁹⁶ About one-fifth of Montana households use electricity for heating.⁹⁷ The commercial and residential sectors each consume a little more than one-third of the electricity used in Montana, and the industrial sector consumes the balance.⁹⁸

Renewable energy

Montana has substantial renewable energy resources. Its mountainous terrain along the Continental Divide creates fast-running rivers, and the eastern two-thirds of the state is drained by the Missouri River and its tributaries.⁹⁹ In 2015, Montana was the seventh-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the nation, having fallen from the fifth-largest because of drought conditions, particularly in western Montana, in the second half of 2015.^100,101 The state has 23 hydroelectric dams. Six of Montana's 10 largest power plants by generating capacity are hydroelectric facilities.^102,103 Opportunities for hydroelectric generating capacity expansions around the state are being evaluated.^104,105

With its high plains crossed by occasional mountains and wide river valleys, eastern Montana has some of the best utility-scale wind potential in the nation.^106,107 The first utility-scale wind farm in the state came online in 2005.¹⁰⁸ By 2016, Montana had 655 megawatts of wind-powered electricity generating capacity in operation from utility-scale wind farms located in the center of the state. More wind projects are in various stages of development.^109,110 However, new wind projects depend in part on demand for renewable energy from other states and on available transmission capacity.¹¹¹ To provide a stable supply of electricity to the grid and offset the variability of wind-power, a large transmission and closed loop pumped hydro storage project is in development about 100 miles northwest of Billings, Montana.^112,113

In some areas, Montana has significant geothermal energy resources.¹¹⁴ Among more than 50 geothermal areas that the state has identified, about one-third are high-temperature sites. Montana's most significant geothermal resources are in the mountainous southwest, but, so far, they have not been tapped for electricity generation. Low- and moderate-temperature resources are found in nearly all areas of the state.¹¹⁵ Those geothermal resources have a variety of direct-use applications in Montana, including recreational hot springs, greenhouses, and fish farms. Several hot springs resorts and public bathing facilities in Montana take advantage of their geothermal resources by using them for space heating, as well as for mineral baths.¹¹⁶

Although almost one-tenth of Montana's residents heat their homes with wood, very little electricity generation in the state is from biomass.^117,118 Most of Montana's biomass comes from and is used at wood-processing facilities. Montana is considering increasing the use of biomass from wood waste, particularly from trees culled as part of efforts to fight pine beetle infestations.¹¹⁹

Montana had 4.5 megawatts of installed solar generating capacity by the end of 2015, but none of it was at electric utility-scale solar facilities. There are a variety of residential and commercial distributed (customer-sited, small-scale) solar generation installations around the state.^120,121

Montana's renewable resource standard (RRS) requires retail electricity suppliers to get at least 15% of the electricity they sell in-state from renewable energy sources beginning in 2015. Power must come from renewable facilities that began operation after January 1, 2005. The RRS recognizes renewable energy from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, small hydroelectric facilities, landfill gas, anaerobic digesters, and fuel cells that use renewable fuels as qualifying renewable resources. The standard requires electricity suppliers to buy a set amount of power from smaller community-based renewable energy projects.¹²²

Energy on tribal lands

More than 5.5 million acres of Montana, about 6% of the state's land area, is held by Native Americans.¹²³ Of the 12 tribes in Montana, 11 are federally recognized. Montana's tribal lands sit on top of a wealth of coal, crude oil, and natural gas resources. The largest of the seven federal reservations in the state, the Crow Nation Reservation, with more than 2 million acres in south-central Montana, is underlain by one of the largest coal reserves in the United States.^124,125,126 The Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana, adjacent to the Crow Nation Reservation, also has a large coal resource.¹²⁷

In addition to an estimated 9 billion tons of low-sulfur coal, the Crow Nation Reservation has oil and natural gas resources.¹²⁸ The Blackfeet Reservation on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains has, on its more than 1.5 million acres, oil and natural gas resources that are being developed. Crude oil was discovered in the early 1950s on the Fort Peck Reservation, the second-largest reservation in the state. The Fort Peck Reservation is located in northeastern Montana, and it overlies the western edge of the Bakken formation.¹²⁹ There are several oil and natural gas fields near the reservation's borders, but the tribe has not yet had any successful Bakken wells drilled on its lands, and interest has flagged with falling oil prices.¹³⁰

Much of Montana's tribal land has abundant renewable resource potential, and several tribes are focusing their energy development on those resources. The Salish and Kootenai tribes, on the Flathead reservation in western Montana, became the first tribal owners and operators of a major hydroelectric facility in the nation when they acquired sole ownership of the Kerr Dam on the boundary of their reservation in September 2015.¹³¹ The Flathead and the Northern Cheyenne reservations, with their timber resources, have significant biomass potential.^132,133 The best wind potential in Montana is in the eastern three-fourths of the state, particularly in the northern and northeastern regions where the Blackfeet, Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap, and Fort Peck reservations are located.^134,135 The Blackfeet Reservation, the third largest reservation in Montana, has pursued wind energy projects for several years. In 1996, a utility-scale wind project came online at the Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana, offsetting the college's electricity costs.¹³⁶ In 1999, the four 10-kilowatt wind turbines installed by the tribe at a wastewater treatment plant in Browning began supplying one-fourth of the plant's electricity needs.^137,138 In 2016, Montana's governor directed the state's Department of Environmental Quality to work with tribes to facilitate the development of solar power on tribal lands.¹³⁹

Endnotes

¹ U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), State Energy Production Estimates 1960 Through 2014, Table P3, Energy Production and Consumption Estimates in Trillion Btu, 2014.
² U.S. EIA, Montana Profile Data, Reserves and Supply, accessed January 8, 2017.
³ U.S. EIA, Montana Renewable Electricity Profile 2010, accessed January 8, 2017.
⁴ U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Report 2015 (November 2016), Table 15, Recoverable Coal Reserves at Producing Mines, Estimated Recoverable Reserves, and Demonstrated Reserve Base by Mining Method, 2015.
⁵ U.S. EIA, Lower 48 states shale plays, Map (April 13, 2015).
⁶ U.S. EIA, U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves 2015 (December 2016).
⁷ U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, The USGS Water Science School, Lengths of the major rivers, updated December 2, 2016.
⁸ Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Hydropower, accessed December 13, 2016.
⁹ Northwestern Energy, Hydroelectric Facilities Acquisition, accessed December 13, 2016.
¹⁰ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Fort Peck Dam, accessed January 8, 2017.
¹¹ Potts, Donald, "Montana, Big Sky Country and the Last, Best Place," Montana's Climate, The CoCoRaHS 'State Climates' Series, accessed December 14, 2016.
¹² Montana Climate Office, Mean Annual Precipitation, accessed December 14, 2016.
¹³ U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, WINDExchange, Montana Wind Resource Map and Potential Wind Capacity, accessed December 14, 2016.
¹⁴ U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, The USGS Water Science School, How much of your state is wet?, updated December 2, 2016.
¹⁵ U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012, The National Data Book, 131st Edition (2011), p. 19, Table 14, State Population-Rank, Percent Change, and Population Density: 1980 to 2010.
¹⁶ U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census: Montana Profile, Population Density by Census Tract.
¹⁷ Geology.com, Montana Map Collection, Map of Montana Cities and Montana Rivers Map, accessed December 14, 2016.
¹⁸ Montana Official State Website, History of Montana, accessed December 15, 2016.
¹⁹ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Interactive Data, Regional Data, GDP and Personal Income, Annual Gross Domestic Product by State, Current Dollars, All Industries, Montana, 2014.
²⁰ U.S. EIA, State Energy Consumption Estimates 1960 Through 2014, DOE/EIA-0214(2014) (June 2016), Table C13, Energy Consumption per Capita by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2014.
²¹ Potts, Donald, "Montana, Big Sky Country and the Last, Best Place," Montana's Climate, The CoCoRaHS 'State Climates' Series, accessed December 14, 2016.
²² U.S. EIA, State Energy Consumption Estimates 1960 Through 2014, DOE/EIA-0214(2014) (June 2016), Table C10, Energy Consumption by End Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2014.
²³ U.S. EIA, Crude Oil plus Lease Condensate Proved Reserves, Reserves Changes, and Production, Annual Proved Reserves as of December 31, 2016.
²⁴ U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Assessment of Undiscovered Oil Resources in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, Williston Basin Province, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3013 (April 2013).
²⁵ U.S. EIA, Crude Oil Production, Annual, Thousand Barrels, 2010-15, accessed December 15, 2016.
²⁶ Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Oil and Gas Conservation Division, Annual Review 2015, Volume 59, p. 3-1.
²⁷ Montana Department of Transportation, The Elm Coulee Oil Field, Birthplace of the Bakken Oil Boom, accessed December 15, 2016.
²⁸ U.S. EIA, Montana Field Production of Crude Oil, Annual, Thousand Barrels per Day, 1981-2015.
²⁹ U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Assessment of Undiscovered Oil Resources in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, Williston Basin Province, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3013 (April 2013).
³⁰ Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Energy, Oil and Gas Evaluation, accessed December 15, 2016.
³¹ U.S. EIA, Refinery Capacity Report 2016 (June 22, 2016), Table 3, Capacity of Operable Petroleum Refineries by State as of January 1, 2016, p. 14.
³² CHS, Energy and Industrial, Refining, CHS Refinery at Laurel, accessed December 15, 2016.
³³ Phillips 66, Billings Refinery, accessed December 15, 2016.
³⁴ ExxonMobil, Billings Refinery, accessed December 15, 2016.
³⁵ Calumet, Calumet Montana Refining, Great Falls, Montana, accessed December 15, 2016.
³⁶ U.S. EIA, Montana Profile Data, Distribution and Marketing, accessed December 15, 2016.
³⁷ U.S. EIA, "In Rocky Mountain region, increased crude production is being shipped by pipeline, rail," Today in Energy (July 15, 2015).
³⁸ U.S. EIA, "Crude by rail accounts for more than half of East Coast refinery supply in February," Today in Energy (May 5, 2015).
³⁹ U.S. EIA, "Crude oil shipments by rail from Midwest to coastal regions decline," Today in Energy (March 11, 2016).
⁴⁰ U.S. EIA, Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) Field Production of Crude Oil, Monthly, accessed December 15, 2016.
⁴¹ U.S. EIA, State Energy Consumption Estimates 1960 Through 2014, DOE/EIA-0214(2014) (June 2016), Table C11, Energy Consumption by Source, Ranked by State, 2014.
⁴² U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, State Totals: Vintage 2014, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 (NST-EST2014-01).
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⁶¹ U.S. EIA, International and Interstate Movements of Natural Gas by State, Montana, Annual, 2010-15.
⁶² U.S. EIA, Underground Natural Gas Storage Capacity, Annual, 2010-15.
⁶³ U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query System, 191 Field Level Storage Data, Annual, 2015.
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⁶⁵ City-Data, Montana Climate, accessed December 18, 2016.
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⁹¹ Nowakowski, Sonja, Montana's Energy Policy Review Senate Bill No. 290: A look at existing policy, A report to the 62nd Legislature of the State of Montana (October 2010), p. 11-15.
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⁹⁹ New World Encyclopedia, Missouri River, updated November 11, 2014.
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Other Resources

Energy-Related Regions and Organizations

• Coal Region: Western
• Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD): 4
• North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Regional Entity: Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO, Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC)
• Regional Transmission Organization (RTO)/Independent System Operator (ISO): Midcontinent Transmission System Operator (MISO)

Other Websites

• Montana Public Service Commission
• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Low Income Energy Assistance
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Coal and Uranium Program, Coal Section
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Energy
• Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Data Center, Federal and State Incentives and Laws
• Benefits.Gov, Energy Assistance
• NC Clean Technology Center, Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE)
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Energy
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-Dynamic Maps, Geographic Information System (GIS) Data and Analysis Tools
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Publications
• Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission
• Western Interstate Energy Board
• Western Area Power Administration
• Bonneville Power Administration
• Northwest Power and Conservation Council
• Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation
• United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
• U.S. Geological Survey, Maps

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