Montana State Energy Profile



Montana Quick Facts

  • Montana has the nation's largest recoverable coal reserves, which is 30% of the U.S. total, and the state accounts for about 5% of U.S. coal production.
  • Montana's temperature extremes and small population contribute to the state's residential sector having the highest per capita energy consumption of any state.
  • In 2023, Montana ranked among the top 10 states with the largest share of electricity generated from renewables, about 50%.
  • Coal-fired power plants provided the largest share of Montana's electricity generation in 2023, accounting for 45% of in-state generation.
  • Montana’s total natural gas consumption is among the five lowest states. About half of state households use natural gas as their primary energy source for home heating.

Last Updated: May 16, 2024



Data

Last Update: November 21, 2024 | Next Update: December 19, 2024

+ EXPAND ALL
Energy Indicators  
Demography Montana Share of U.S. Period
Population 1.1 million 0.3% 2023  
Civilian Labor Force 0.6 million 0.3% Oct-24  
Economy Montana U.S. Rank Period
Gross Domestic Product $ 70.6 billion 48 2023  
Gross Domestic Product for the Manufacturing Sector $ 4,320 million 46 2023  
Per Capita Personal Income $ 63,918 29 2023  
Vehicle Miles Traveled 13,514 million miles 41 2022  
Land in Farms 57.6 million acres 2 2023  
Climate Montana U.S. Rank Period
Average Temperature 43.9 degrees Fahrenheit 46 2023  
Precipitation 18.4 inches 44 2023  
Prices  
Petroleum Montana U.S. Average Period find more
Domestic Crude Oil First Purchase $ 69.64 /barrel $ 74.97 /barrel Aug-24  
Natural Gas Montana U.S. Average Period find more
City Gate $ 2.40 /thousand cu ft $ 4.23 /thousand cu ft Aug-24 find more
Residential $ 13.17 /thousand cu ft $ 23.40 /thousand cu ft Aug-24 find more
Coal Montana U.S. Average Period find more
Average Sales Price $ 46.56 /short ton $ 54.04 /short ton 2023  
Delivered to Electric Power Sector W $ 2.44 /million Btu Aug-24  
Electricity Montana U.S. Average Period find more
Residential 13.32 cents/kWh 16.63 cents/kWh Aug-24 find more
Commercial 12.00 cents/kWh 13.39 cents/kWh Aug-24 find more
Industrial 7.25 cents/kWh 8.72 cents/kWh Aug-24 find more
Reserves  
Reserves Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Crude Oil (as of Dec. 31) 388 million barrels 0.8% 2022 find more
Expected Future Production of Dry Natural Gas (as of Dec. 31) 624 billion cu ft 0.1% 2022 find more
Expected Future Production of Natural Gas Plant Liquids 14 million barrels * 2022 find more
Recoverable Coal at Producing Mines 383 million short tons 3.4% 2023 find more
Rotary Rigs & Wells Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Natural Gas Producing Wells 5,043 wells 1.0% 2020 find more
Capacity Montana Share of U.S. Period
Crude Oil Refinery Capacity (as of Jan. 1) 214,600 barrels/calendar day 1.2% 2024  
Electric Power Industry Net Summer Capacity 7,071 MW 0.6% Aug-24  
Supply & Distribution  
Production Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Total Energy 731 trillion Btu 0.7% 2022 find more
Crude Oil 77 thousand barrels per day 0.6% Aug-24 find more
Natural Gas - Marketed 41,172 million cu ft 0.1% 2023 find more
Coal 29,072 thousand short tons 5.0% 2023 find more
Total Utility-Scale Net Electricity Generation Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Total Net Electricity Generation 2,306 thousand MWh 0.5% Aug-24  
Utility-Scale Net Electricity Generation (share of total) Montana U.S. Average Period
Petroleum-Fired NM 0.2 % Aug-24 find more
Natural Gas-Fired 4.8 % 48.0 % Aug-24 find more
Coal-Fired 43.1 % 16.3 % Aug-24 find more
Nuclear 0.0 % 16.5 % Aug-24 find more
Renewables 49.9 % 18.8 % Aug-24  
Stocks Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Motor Gasoline (Excludes Pipelines) 273 thousand barrels 2.5% Aug-24  
Distillate Fuel Oil (Excludes Pipelines) 855 thousand barrels 0.9% Aug-24 find more
Natural Gas in Underground Storage 219,791 million cu ft 2.8% Aug-24 find more
Petroleum Stocks at Electric Power Producers 13 thousand barrels 0.1% Aug-24 find more
Coal Stocks at Electric Power Producers W W Aug-24 find more
Fueling Stations Montana Share of U.S. Period
Motor Gasoline 479 stations 0.4% 2022  
Propane 27 stations 1.1% Oct-24  
Electric Vehicle Charging Locations 140 stations 0.2% Oct-24  
E85 0 stations 0.0% Oct-24  
Biodiesel, Compressed Natural Gas, and Other Alternative Fuels 2 stations 0.1% Oct-24  
Consumption & Expenditures  
Summary Montana U.S. Rank Period
Total Consumption 395 trillion Btu 43 2022 find more
Total Consumption per Capita 352 million Btu 15 2022 find more
Total Expenditures $ 7,162 million 45 2022 find more
Total Expenditures per Capita $ 6,378 10 2022 find more
by End-Use Sector Montana Share of U.S. Period
Consumption
    »  Residential 91 trillion Btu 0.5% 2022 find more
    »  Commercial 72 trillion Btu 0.4% 2022 find more
    »  Industrial 118 trillion Btu 0.4% 2022 find more
    »  Transportation 116 trillion Btu 0.4% 2022 find more
Expenditures
    »  Residential $ 1,257 million 0.4% 2022 find more
    »  Commercial $ 922 million 0.4% 2022 find more
    »  Industrial $ 975 million 0.3% 2022 find more
    »  Transportation $ 4,008 million 0.5% 2022 find more
by Source Montana Share of U.S. Period
Consumption
    »  Petroleum 34 million barrels 0.5% 2022 find more
    »  Natural Gas 89 billion cu ft 0.3% 2022 find more
    »  Coal 7,647 thousand short tons 1.5% 2022 find more
Expenditures
    »  Petroleum $ 4,934 million 0.5% 2022 find more
    »  Natural Gas $ 700 million 0.3% 2022 find more
    »  Coal $ 283 million 1.1% 2022 find more
Consumption for Electricity Generation Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Petroleum NM NM Aug-24 find more
Natural Gas 1,098 million cu ft 0.1% Aug-24 find more
Coal 636 thousand tons 1.6% Aug-24 find more
Energy Source Used for Home Heating (share of households) Montana U.S. Average Period
Natural Gas 50.9 % 46.2 % 2022  
Fuel Oil 0.6 % 3.9 % 2022  
Electricity 27.7 % 41.3 % 2022  
Propane 12.4 % 5.0 % 2022  
Other/None 8.4 % 3.5 % 2022  
Environment  
Renewable Energy Capacity Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Total Renewable Energy Electricity Net Summer Capacity 4,798 MW 1.4% Aug-24  
Ethanol Plant Nameplate Capacity -- -- 2024  
Renewable Energy Production Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Utility-Scale Hydroelectric Net Electricity Generation 742 thousand MWh 3.5% Aug-24  
Utility-Scale Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Net Electricity Generation 407 thousand MWh 0.8% Aug-24  
Utility-Scale Biomass Net Electricity Generation 3 thousand MWh 0.1% Aug-24  
Small-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Generation 12 thousand MWh 0.1% Aug-24  
Fuel Ethanol Production 0 thousand barrels 0.0% 2022  
Renewable Energy Consumption Montana U.S. Rank Period find more
Renewable Energy Consumption as a Share of State Total 17.3 % 8 2022  
Fuel Ethanol Consumption 1,224 thousand barrels 42 2022  
Total Emissions Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Carbon Dioxide 29.5 million metric tons 0.6% 2022  
Electric Power Industry Emissions Montana Share of U.S. Period find more
Carbon Dioxide 13,774 thousand metric tons 0.9% 2023  
Sulfur Dioxide 8 thousand metric tons 0.9% 2023  
Nitrogen Oxide 12 thousand metric tons 1.1% 2023  

Analysis



Last Updated: May 16, 2024

Overview

Montana, known as Big Sky Country, is the fourth-largest state.1,2 It is bordered by Idaho to the west, Wyoming to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, and shares a 545-mile border with Canada to the north.3 The state is rich in both fossil fuels and renewable resources and is a net supplier of energy to the rest of the nation.4,5 One-fourth of the nation's estimated recoverable coal reserves are in Montana, and the northern and eastern areas of the state contain deposits of crude oil and natural gas.6,7,8 The Continental Divide runs along the state's western mountains, making Montana the only state in the nation with rivers that drain into the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Canada's Hudson Bay.9 The Missouri River, the longest river in the United States, starts in the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and flows eastward across the state.10 The river and its tributaries offer substantial hydroelectric energy resources.11,12 Montana's western mountains capture warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean, creating a more moderate climate in the western third of the state than farther east, where the Rocky Mountains give way to dry, wind-swept plains that stretch into the Dakotas.13 The state's vast plains provide Montana with some of the best wind resources in the nation.14 Montana is the third least densely populated state, averaging about 8 people per square mile.15 Montana's population crossed the 1 million threshold in 2012 and the state continues to grow, but still ranks among the 10 states with the fewest residents.16,17 Montana's residents are clustered in and around a few cities, mainly in the valleys of the Missouri River and its tributaries.18 Much of the eastern third of the state has, on average, less than one resident per square mile.19 Montana ranks second only to Texas with over 58 million acres of land in farms and ranches.20

Montana's early economy was built around mining, ranching, wheat farming, and timber. After World War II, spurred by popular destinations such as Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, tourism increased. In 1970, tourism surpassed mining to become the second-largest industry in the state after agriculture.21 Today, finance, insurance, real estate, rentals, and leasing are the largest contributors to the state's gross domestic product (GDP), but energy resource extraction and mining continue to be significant parts of the state's economy.22 Mining, crude oil and natural gas production, petroleum refining, and agricultural industries are all energy-intensive. Those industries, as well as the amount of transportation fuels used to travel the long distances within the state and the state's small population, help place Montana's per capita energy consumption near the top one-fifth of the states, even though its total energy consumption is among the 10 lowest states.23,24

Montana has the highest residential sector per capita energy consumption of any state.

The industrial sector leads Montana's end-use energy consumption, accounting for 30% of the state total, followed by the transportation sector at 27%. The residential sector makes up 23% of the state's energy use, and the commercial sector accounts for 19%.25 Montana's summer heat can exceed 100°F on the plains and winter can bring Arctic blasts with subzero temperatures.26 The state's temperature extremes and its small population contribute to Montana's residential sector having the highest per capita energy consumption of any state.27

Coal

Montana holds about 30% of U.S. total recoverable coal reserves.

Montana has the largest estimated recoverable coal reserves among the states, accounting for about 30% of the U.S. total.28 Montana is the sixth-largest coal-producing state. In 2022, the state produced about 5% of the nation's coal from five operating mines.29,30 Most of Montana's coal production comes from four large surface mines in the Powder River Basin in the southeastern corner of the state and one small surface mine in the western part of the state.31 Montana's Spring Creek Coal mine is the eleventh-largest U.S. coal-producing mine.32 The state's Rosebud surface mine supplies almost all of its production to Montana's largest electricity generating plant—the Colstrip coal-fired power plant located next to the mine about 90 miles east of Billings. Two of the plant's 4 generating units were retired in early 2020, reducing the plant's generating capacity to about 1,500 megawatts.33,34,35,36

In 2022, about four-tenths of Montana's distributed coal was delivered within the state, almost all to the electric power sector. Half of Montana's coal was sent to other states, mainly by rail to Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington, for electricity generation. The remaining one-tenth was exported to other countries, mostly to western Canada, where much of it shipped to Asia.37,38,39 Montana's coal production has declined by nearly 30% from 2018 to 2022, mainly because of competition in the United States from natural gas and renewable energy sources as fuel for electricity generation and retirements of coal-fired power plants.40,41,42,43

Petroleum

Montana holds less than 1% of U.S. total proved crude oil reserves, and the state accounts for about 1 in every 200 barrels of U.S. oil produced annually.44,45 Most of Montana's crude oil production comes from the Bakken Formation in the northeastern corner of the state along the border with North Dakota.46,47,48 Montana's Elm Coulee field, which began producing oil in 2001, was initially the most prolific oil field in the Williston Basin, a geologic basin that spreads from eastern Montana into North Dakota and Canada.49,50 However, the state's oil production declined from its 2006 peak of nearly 100,000 barrels per day as drilling activity moved to North Dakota, where the Bakken Shale formation is thicker, covers a larger area, and holds more oil. In 2022, Montana's annual crude oil production increased for a second consecutive year to 64,000 barrels per day, the highest output level since 2015.51,52

Montana has 4 refineries with a combined crude oil processing capacity of about 205,000 barrels per calendar day.53 The three largest refineries are in the Billings area.54 There is a smaller refinery in Great Falls that in early 2023 finished an expansion project that allowed it to make renewable aviation fuel from animal fat and vegetable oil.55,56 The 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.57,58,59,60 Pipelines and railroads are used to ship crude oil to the refineries and to transport the facilities' refined products throughout Montana and to nearby states. Several pipelines carry Montana crude oil to refineries in other states as well.61 In January 2021, the Biden administration canceled the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline extension, which would have crossed the state as a shorter route to transport Canadian crude oil to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.62

Montana’s 4 refineries can process about 205,000 barrels of crude oil per calendar day.

Although Montana's total petroleum consumption is among the lowest 10 states, its small population helps place it among the top 10 states in petroleum consumption per capita.63 The transportation sector consumes more than three-fifths of the petroleum used in Montana.64 The state ranks among the top five in both per capita annual vehicle miles traveled and per capita gasoline expenditures.65,66 During the winter months, federal air quality standards require oxygenated motor gasoline use in the Missoula metropolitan area near the Idaho border.67 Montana has no ethanol production plants, but it receives ethanol from other states that is blended with motor gasoline at Montana's petroleum product terminals.68,69 In January 2024, Montana updated its fuel regulations allowing the sale of E15 fuel blend, which contains 15% ethanol.70,71 The industrial sector is the second-largest consumer of petroleum, accounting for almost one-fourth of the state's total use. The residential sector—where about 1 out of 7 households heat with propane, fuel oil, or kerosene—and the electric power and commercial sectors together make up the rest, about 15%, of the state's petroleum consumption.72,73

Electricity

In 2023, coal generated 45% of Montana's in-state generation. Until 2016, coal consistently supplied more than half of its in-state generation. However, over the past decade coal's share declined because of the growth of renewable electricity, retirement of coal-fired power plants, and increased price competitiveness of natural gas.74,75,76,77 In 2020, hydroelectric power generation exceeded coal-fired generation for the first time in more than two decades before coal returned to the top spot since 2021.78

In 2023, hydropower accounted for about 30% of Montana's in-state electricity generation. However, hydroelectric generation in the state declined by 22% in 2023 due to the drought conditions in the Western states—especially Oregon and Washington—led to historically low hydroelectric generation in these states.79 While the state's largest power plant by generating capacity in 2023 was coal-fired, 6 of the 10 largest were hydroelectric.80,81 There are several projects planned to expand the state's hydroelectric generating capacity.82 A large pumped hydro storage project, Gordon Butte Pumped Storage, with 400 megawatts of generating capacity is in development about 100 miles northwest of Billings.83 Pumped-storage hydroelectric plants generate electricity during peak demand periods, when power prices are higher, using water pumped into an elevated storage reservoir during off-peak periods and then releasing it to flow back to a lower reservoir through turbine generators when additional power is needed.84 In 2023, wind power accounted for the third-largest share, about 18%, of the state's generation, and natural gas provided about 4%. Petroleum coke accounted for almost 2% of Montana's generation, the highest share of any state.85,86 Montana has no nuclear power plants.87

Montana has one of the nation’s eight converter stations that connect the eastern and western U.S. electric grids.

Montana consumers use about two-thirds of the electricity generated in the state.88 The excess power is sent over high-voltage transmission lines to other western states, mostly Washington and Oregon.89 Several transmission projects are in development that will increase capacity to move Montana-generated electricity to other states.90,91 Most of Montana is part of the Western Interconnection, an electric grid which serves western states, Canadian provinces, and a small part of northern Mexico. A portion of eastern Montana is connected to the Eastern Interconnection of the U.S. grid.92,93 One of the nation's eight converter stations that connect the eastern and western electric grids is located at Miles City, Montana.94

In 2023, the residential sector accounted for about 37% of the electricity sales in the state, with the commercial and industrial sectors close behind at 33% and 30%, respectively.95 About one-fourth of Montana households use electricity as their primary heating source.96 In 2023, Montana's average electricity price was below the national average and less than about three-fourths of the states.97

As of early 2024, there were 121 public electric vehicle charging locations with 378 charging ports in service across Montana. The state has the fifth-lowest number of charging locations in the nation.98 The charging locations are mostly located in Montana's largest cities—Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Bozeman—and along major interstate highways.99 With fewer than 3,000 registered battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 2022, Montana has one of the lowest BEV adoption rates in the nation.100 The Montana Department of Transportation and Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently developed the 2023 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan Update to increase BEV adoption and add more charging locations to better serve local residents and visitors.101

Renewable energy

In 2023, Montana was the nation’s seventh-largest producer of hydroelectric power.

Montana has substantial renewable energy resources, and in 2023 it ranked within the top 10 states with the largest share of electricity generated from renewables. Renewable energy, primarily hydropower and wind, accounted for about 50% of Montana's in-state electricity generation.102,103 The state's mountainous terrain along the Continental Divide creates fast-running rivers from the 300 inches of snow and rain that fall in the region annually and provide the water resources for hydroelectric power generation. The headwaters of the Missouri River, the longest river in North America, are in the mountains of southwestern Montana.104,105 In 2023, Montana was the seventh-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the nation.106 The state has 23 utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger) hydroelectric plants, and most of them are located in the western half of the state.107 Six of Montana's 10 largest power plants by generating capacity are hydroelectric facilities.108,109 The state is also home to the first Tribally-owned hydroelectric plant in the United States—the 227-megawatt Seli'š Ksanka Qlispe' plant—on the Flathead River.110

With its broad plains dotted with hills, wide river valleys, and occasional mountains, eastern Montana has some of the best utility-scale wind power potential in the nation.111,112 The first utility-scale wind farm in the state came online in 2005.113 Wind energy powers 3 of the state's 10 largest generating plants by capacity and 3 of the 10 largest by annual generation.114 The state's largest wind facility, the 366-megawatt Clearwater wind farm, came online in eastern Montana at the end of 2022. In early 2024, the state had nearly 1,800 megawatts of wind power generating capacity in operation. Another 400 megawatts of wind capacity and related battery energy storage are scheduled to come online by 2025.115

In 2023, solar energy generated about 1% of Montana's in-state generation—the highest to date. Montana's solar energy power was provided only by customer-sited, small-scale (less than 1 megawatt) residential and business solar panel installations until 2017, when the state's first utility-scale power facilities began generating electricity. In early 2024, Montana had eight utility-scale solar power farms with a combined generating capacity of 177 megawatts. The state's utility-scale solar generating capacity was seven times greater in 2023 than in 2022 after two 80-megawatt solar farms—one near Billings and one near Dillon—came online.116,117,118

Montana has biomass resources, and about 7 in 100 households heat their homes with wood. The state has the third-highest share of wood-burning households, after Vermont and Maine. However, very little electricity generation in the state comes from biomass.119,120,121 The state's only utility-scale wood biomass-fueled generating facility has 3 megawatts of capacity and is owned by a lumber company in northwest Montana. An electric cooperative owns a 1.6-megawatt generating unit that is fueled by landfill gas.122,123 Woody biomass is also used as fuel in boilers to provide heat, mostly in western Montana schools, hospitals, and other public buildings.124

Montana has geothermal resources, but there are no utility-scale geothermal-fueled electricity generating facilities in the state.125 Montana's most significant geothermal resources are in the mountainous southwest. Low- and moderate-temperature geothermal resources are found in nearly all areas of the state.126 Montana's geothermal resources have a variety of direct-use applications, including recreational hot springs, greenhouses, and fish farms. Several hot springs resorts and public bathing facilities in Montana use geothermal energy for space heating and mineral baths.127

Montana enacted in 2005 a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that required electricity retail suppliers to acquire at least 15% of the electricity they sell in-state from renewable energy sources by 2015.128 They reached the requirement in 2015 and continued to exceed it, which led the state legislature to repeal the RPS in 2021.129,130 Montana provides low-interest loans to households and businesses to pay for energy-saving measures, like energy-efficient appliances and windows. The loans also cover alternative energy systems, including solar panels, geothermal systems, wind generators, and low-emission wood stoves.131

Natural gas

Montana accounts for about 0.1% of U.S. total natural gas reserves and marketed production.132,133 The state's natural gas production is about one-third of what it was at its peak in 2007. Production from natural gas wells and coalbed methane wells in the state generally trended downward in recent years as energy companies focused on drilling for oil rather than for natural gas.134,135 About three-fourths of Montana's natural gas production comes from wells located in the northern part of the state near the Canadian border. Almost all the remaining natural gas production comes from wells in the Williston Basin in northeastern Montana near the North Dakota border.136

Montana has the largest single underground natural gas storage site in the nation.

Montana consumes about twice as much natural gas as it produces.137,138 Interstate natural gas pipelines cross Montana from Canada, North Dakota, and Wyoming.139,140 In 2022, about 86% of the natural gas that entered the state came from Canada, crossing the border at 3 import points of entry. Of the remaining natural gas shipments, 8% came from Wyoming and 6% from North Dakota.141,142 In 2023, almost 7% of all the natural gas the United States imported by pipeline from Canada entered through Montana.143 About four-fifths of the natural gas that enters Montana leaves the state, almost all of it continuing on to North Dakota on its way to Midwestern markets.144 Some of the natural gas that enters Montana is put in storage. The state has more underground natural gas storage capacity than any other state in the Rocky Mountain region and has the nation's largest single underground storage site—the depleted Baker field in the Williston Basin in eastern Montana. That storage field can hold 287 billion cubic feet of gas.145,146

Montana's total natural gas consumption is among the five lowest states. However, with its frigid winters and small population, Montana ranks near the middle of the states in per capita natural gas use.147,148 The commercial sector is the largest natural gas consumer in Montana, accounting for about 32% of the state's total natural gas use, followed by the industrial sector at 31%. The residential sector makes up 28% of natural gas consumption and the electric power sector accounts for about 9%.149 About half of Montana households use natural gas as their primary energy source for home heating.150

Energy on tribal lands

More than 6.4 million acres in Montana, about 7% of the state's total land area, are Native American tribal lands.151,152 Montana has 8 reservations that are home to 12 tribes and more than 60,000 Native Americans.153,154 In December 2019, the U.S. Department of the Interior updated regulations to make it easier for tribes to control development of energy resources on their lands.155 Most of Montana's tribal lands sit on top of coal, crude oil, or natural gas resources.156

The largest reservation in the state, the Crow Nation Reservation, covers 2.2 million acres in south-central Montana, and the Crow Tribe mines some of its estimated 9 billion tons of coal reserves. The Crow Nation Reservation also has crude oil and natural gas resources.157,158,159,160 The Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana, adjacent to the Crow Nation Reservation, also has large coal reserves, but the Northern Cheyenne Tribe does not mine its coal.161 The Blackfeet Reservation—located on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park with more than 1.5 million acres—has crude oil and natural gas resources. In September 2023, after an almost 10-year court battle, the last oil and gas lease in Badger-Two Medicine, an area considered sacred, was relinquished. While the Blackfeet Tribe has opposed leases on its most sacred lands, it is not against oil and gas development in other areas on the reservation.162,163,164 Crude oil was discovered in the early 1950s on the Fort Peck Reservation, which is home to two tribes and is the second-largest reservation in the state at over 2 million acres. The Fort Peck Reservation is located in northeastern Montana, and it overlies the western edge of the Bakken formation where there is crude oil production.165,166

Much of Montana's tribal lands also have abundant renewable energy resources. The Fort Peck, Blackfeet, and Crow Nation reservations are among the 15 reservations in the nation with the greatest potential for wind-powered electricity generation, and the Fort Peck Reservation has some of the highest potential for solar power generation.167 The Flathead and Crow tribal lands have some of the largest hydropower potential among U.S. tribal lands.168 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, which was renamed Seli'š Ksanka Qlispe' plant.169,170 The Flathead Reservation, with its timber resources on the mountains and valleys of northwestern Montana, has the greatest biomass generation potential of all the tribal lands in the state.171,172

Endnotes

1 World Atlas, U.S. States by Size, accessed April 15,2024.
2 Montana Public Radio, Why is Montana known as the ‘Big Sky State'?, August 17, 2022.
3 Montana Historical Society, This is Montana, Chapter 1, accessed April 17, 2024.
4 U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), State Energy Data System, Table P2, Primary Energy Production Estimates in Trillion Btu, 2021, Montana.
5 U.S. EIA, U.S. Energy Atlas, All Energy Infrastructure and Resources, Montana, accessed April 15, 2024.
6 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Table 15, Recoverable Coal Reserves at Producing Mines, Estimated Recoverable Reserves, and Demonstrated Reserve Base by Mining Method, 2022.
7 U.S. EIA, Lower 48 states shale plays, Map (June 30, 2016).
8 U.S. EIA, U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-end 2022 (April 29, 2024), Table 7, Proved reserves, reserves changes, and production of crude oil, 2022, and Table 10, Proved reserves, reserves changes, and production of natural gas, wet after lease separation, 2022.
9 NETSTATE, The Geography of Montana, accessed April 16, 2024.
10 U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Rivers of the World: World's Longest Rivers, accessed April 15, 2024.
11 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Hydroelectric Resources, updated February 2022.
12 Northwestern Energy, Hydropower, accessed April 15, 2024.
13 North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State Climate Summaries 2022, Montana, accessed April 15, 2024.
14 U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, WINDExchange, Wind Energy in Montana, Maps & Data, accessed April 15, 2024.
15 Wisevoter, Population Density by State, Last 10, accessed April 15, 2024.
16 World Population Review, Top 10 U.S. States with the Smallest Populations, accessed April 15, 2024.
17 Montana Official State Website, Brief History of Montana, accessed April 15, 2024.
18 GISGeography, Map of Montana - Cities and Roads, updated January 5, 2024.
19 Montana Department of Commerce, 2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Summary File (PL 94-171).
20 National Agricultural Statistics Service, Montana Agricultural Facts 2022, accessed April 22, 2024.
21 Montana Official State Website, Brief History of Montana, accessed April 17, 2024.
22 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Tools, Interactive Data, Regional Data, GDP and Personal Income, Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by State, GDP in current dollars, NAICS, Montana, All statistics in table, 2023.
23 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C14, Total Energy Consumption Estimates per Capita by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2021.
24 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C11, Total Energy Consumption Estimates by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2021.
25 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C11, Total Energy Consumption Estimates by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2021.
26 North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State Climate Summaries 2022, Montana, accessed April 15, 2024.
27 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C14, Total Energy Consumption Estimates per Capita by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2021.
28 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Table 15, Recoverable Coal Reserves at Producing Mines, Estimated Recoverable Reserves, and Demonstrated Reserve Base by Mining Method, 2022.
29 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Table 2, Coal Production and Number of Mines by State, County, and Mine Type, 2022.
30 U.S. EIA, Coal Data Browser, Number of mines for all coal, Montana, all mine statuses, 2022.
31 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Coal Resources, updated June 2022.
32 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Table 9, Major U.S. Coal Mines, 2022.
33 Westmoreland Mining LLC, Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC, Rosebud Mine, Montana, accessed April 18, 2024.
34 Talen Energy, Colstrip Steam Electric Station - Colstrip, Montana, accessed April 18, 2024.
35 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: All, and Inventory of Retired Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Conventional Steam Coal.
36 U.S. EIA, Montana Electricity Profile 2022, Table 2A, Ten largest plants by generation capacity, 2022.
37 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Distribution Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Domestic distribution of U.S. coal by: Origin State, consumer, destination and method of transportation, Montana, Table OS-14: Domestic Coal Distribution, by Origin State, 2022.
38 U.S. EIA, Annual Coal Distribution Report 2022 (October 3, 2023), Domestic distribution of U.S. coal by: Domestic and foreign distribution of U.S. coal by origin state, Montana, 2022.
39 Montana Department of Commerce, Montana's Coal Exporters, accessed April 19, 2024.
40 U.S. EIA, "Renewable generation surpassed coal and nuclear in the U.S. electric power sector in 2022," Today in Energy (December 27, 2023).
41 U.S. EIA, Coal Data Browser, Montana, Aggregate coal mine production for all coal (short tons), 2001-22.
42 "Montana coal mine closes amid decline in demand" AP News (February 5, 2021).
43 Eggert, Amanda, "Wind power set to overtake coal generation capacity in Montana," Montana Free Press (December, 22, 2023).
44 U.S. EIA, U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-end 2022 (April 29, 2924), Table 6, Proved reserves, reserve changes, and production of crude oil and lease condensates, 2022.
45 U.S. EIA, Crude Oil Production, Annual, Thousand Barrels, Montana 2017-23.
46 Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation, Production, Annual Production by County, 2023.
47 Department of Natural Resources and Conservation of the State of Montana, Oil and Gas Conservation Division, Annual Review 2022, Volume 66, p.2-1, 15-1.
48 U.S. EIA, Drilling Productivity Report, Production by region, Bakken, Shale play map, accessed April 19,2024.
49 Montana Department of Transportation, The Elm Coulee Oil Field, Birthplace of the Bakken Oil Boom, accessed April 19, 2024.
50 U.S. Geological Survey, "USGS Releases Oil and Gas Assessment for the Bakken and Three Forks Formations of Montana and North Dakota" Press Release (December 15, 2021).
51 U.S. EIA, Montana Field Production of Crude Oil, Annual, Thousand Barrels per Day, 1981-2023.
52 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 (April 2013).
53 U.S. EIA, Petroleum & Other Liquids, Number and Capacity of Petroleum Refineries, Area: Montana, 2018-23.
54 Montana Petroleum Association, Montana Refining, Downstream Sector, accessed April 19, 2024.
55 U.S. EIA, Refinery Capacity Report 2022 (June 21, 2023), Table 3, Capacity of Operable Petroleum Refineries by State as of January 1, 2023.
56 Murray, David, "Calumet Montana oil refinery in Great Falls to become top US producer of sustainable jet fuel," Great Falls Tribune (February 3, 2023).
57 CHS Inc., Refined Fuels, accessed April 19, 2024.
58 Phillips 66 Co., Billings Refinery, accessed April 19, 2024.
59 Seba, Erwin, "Exxon selling Montana oil refinery to Par Pacific in $310 million deal," Reuters (October 20, 2022).
60 Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P., Facilities, Production, Blending, Packaging and Distribution Facilities, accessed April 20, 2024.
61 U.S. Department of Energy, State of Montana Energy Sector Risk Profile, Petroleum Map, p. 4-5.
62 The White House, Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, Sec. 6. Revoking the March 2019 Permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline (January 20, 2021).
63 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C15, Petroleum Consumption, Total and per Capita, Ranked by State, 2021.
64 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table F16, Total Petroleum Consumption Estimates, 2022.
65 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table E20, Motor Gasoline Price and Expenditure Estimates, Ranked by State, 2021.
66 U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information, Highway Statistics 2022.
67 American Petroleum Institute, U.S. Gasoline Requirements Map, updated January 2018.
68 U.S. EIA, U.S. Fuel Ethanol Plant Production Capacity (August 7, 2023), Detailed annual production capacity plant is available in XLS.
69 U.S. EIA, Movements of Crude Oil and Selected Products by Rail between PAD Districts, Fuel Ethanol, Annual, 2018-23.
70 Voegele, Erin, "Montana Becomes 49th State To Approve The Sale of E15," Ethanol Producer Magazine (January 4, 2024).
71 U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Ethanol Basics, Blends, E15, accessed 19 April 2024.
72 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table F16, Total Petroleum Consumption Estimates, 2022.
73 U.S. Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Table B25040, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Montana.
74 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
75 U.S. EIA, "Coal and natural gas plants will account for 98% of U.S. capacity retirements in 2023," Today in Energy (February 7, 2023).
76 U.S. EIA, "Renewable generation surpassed coal and nuclear in the U.S. electric power sector in 2022," Today in Energy (December 27, 2023).
77 U.S. EIA, "U.S. Henry Hub natural gas prices in 2023 were the lowest since mid-2020," Today in Energy (January 4, 2024).
78 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
79 U.S. EIA, "Western U.S. hydropower generation fell to a 22-year low last year," Today in Energy (March 26, 2024).
80 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: All.
81 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
82 Foundation for Water & Energy Education, Bowen, Northwest Hydroelectric Projects Maps & Directory, State: Montana, accessed April 22, 2024.
83 GB Energy Park, Project Overview, accessed April 22, 2024.
84 U.S. EIA, "Most pumped storage electricity generators in the U.S. were built in the 1970s," Today in Energy (October 31, 2019).
85 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
86 U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (February 2024), Table 1.3.B., Table 1.6.B.
87 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Montana, updated March 9, 2021.
88 U.S. EIA, Montana Electricity Profile 2022, Table 10, Supply and disposition of electricity, 1990-2022.
89 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2023, p.10, 53.
90 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2023, p.63-64.
91 Nicholson, Blake, "$2.5B power line planned from central North Dakota to southeastern Montana," The Bismarck Tribune (February 14, 2023).
92 U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity, Learn More About Interconnections, accessed April 22, 2024.
93 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana's Electric Transmission Grid, accessed April 22, 2024.
94 Western Area Power Administration, Miles City Converter Station, updated June 8,2023.
95 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Retail sales of electricity (million kilowatthours), 2001-23.
96 U.S. Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Table B25040, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Montana.
97 U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (February 2024), Table 5.6.B.
98 U.S. EIA, Monthly Energy Review (March 2024), Appendix F monthly state file, XLS.
99 U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Electric Vehicle Charging Station Locations, Montana, accessed April 22, 2024.
100 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data Systems, Table F39: Electric light-duty vehicles overview, 2022.
101 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment Plan Update, July 31, 2023.
102 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
103 U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (February 2024), Tables 1.3.B, 1.10.B, 1.11.B, 1.17.B.
104 New World Encyclopedia, Missouri River, accessed April 22, 2024.
105 Frommer's, The Lay of the Land in Montana, accessed April 22, 2024.
106 U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (February 2024), Table 1.10.B.
107 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Hydroelectric Resources, updated February 2022.
108 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Conventional Hydroelectric.
109 U.S. EIA, Montana Electricity Profile 2022, Table 2A, Ten Largest Plants by Capacity, 2022.
110 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2023, p.27-28.
111 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2023, p.31-34.
112 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, WINDExchange, Wind Energy in Montana, Maps & Data, accessed April 22, 2024.
113 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, WINDExchange, "Energy Department recognizes the first utility-scale wind project in Montana," Press Release (October 7, 2005).
114 U.S. EIA, Montana Electricity Profile 2022, Table 2A, Ten Largest Plants by Capacity, 2022, and Table 2B, Ten largest plants by generation, 2022.
115 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Onshore Wind Turbine; Inventory of Planned Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Onshore Wind Turbine, Batteries.
116 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Solar Photovoltaic, and Inventory of Planned Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Solar Photovoltaic.
117 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
118 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Solar Resources, updated December 2022.
119 U.S. Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Table B25040, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Montana.
120 U.S. Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Table B25040, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, All States within United States.
121 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
122 U.S. EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), Inventory of Operating Generators as of March 2024, Plant State: Montana, Technology: Wood/Wood Waste Biomass.
123 F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber, Co-Generation Plant, accessed April 15, 2024.
124 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2018, Biomass, Methane and Landfill Generation in Montana, p. 33.
125 U.S. EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Montana, Net generation for all sectors (thousand megawatthours), Annual, 2001-23.
126 Birkby, Jeff, "Geothermal Energy in Montana, A Consumer's Guide," Montana Department of Environmental Quality (June 2012), p.3.
127 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Geothermal Technologies Program, Montana (November 2005).
128 N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center, DSIRE, Montana Renewable Resource Standard, updated November 17, 2023.
129 Montana Renewable Energy Association, Utility Scale, accessed April 23, 2024.
130 National conference of State Legislatures, State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals, updated August 13, 2021.
131 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program, accessed April 22, 2024.
132 U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production, Marketed Production, Montana, 2017-23.
133 U.S. EIA, U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-end 2022 (April 29, 2024), Table 10, Total natural gas proved reserves, reserves changes, and production, wet after lease separation, Data Series: Proved Reserves as of Dec 31, 2021.
134 U.S. EIA, Montana Natural Gas Marketed Production, Annual, Monthly, 1967-2023.
135 U.S. EIA, Montana Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals from Coalbed Wells, Annual, 2002-22.
136 Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, Annual Review 2021, volume 65, p. 2-1, 3-1, 15-1.
137 U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Consumption by End Use, Total Consumption, Annual, 2018-23.
138 U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production, Gross Withdrawals, Annual, 2018-23.
139 U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, updated March 11, 2024.
140 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Natural Gas Resources, updated June 2022.
141 U.S. EIA, U.S. Natural Gas Imports by Point of Entry, 2018-23.
142 U.S. EIA, International and Interstate Movements of Natural Gas by State, Montana, Annual, 2017-22.
143 U.S. EIA, U.S. Natural Gas Imports by Point of Entry, 2018-23.
144 U.S. EIA, International and Interstate Movements of Natural Gas by State, Montana, Annual, 2017-22.
145 U.S. EIA, Underground Natural Gas Storage Capacity, Annual, 2017-22.
146 U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query System, 191 Field Level Storage Data, Annual, 2022.
147 Montana Historical Society, This is Montana, Chapter 1, p.6-7, accessed April 17, 2024.
148 U.S. EIA, State Energy Data System, Table C16, Natural Gas Consumption, Total and per C1apita, Ranked by State, 2021.
149 U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Consumption by End Use, Montana, Annual, 2018-23.
150 U.S. Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Table B25040, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Montana.
151 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affair, Indian Lands - GeoPlatform, accessed April 22, 2024.
152 Native Land Information System, BIA Land Area Totals for US Native Lands, 2019 Native Land Area Data from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, Owner Source: Tribal, Filter by State: MT, accessed April 22, 2024.
153 Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, Tribal Nations, accessed April 19, 2024.
154 U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey, B02001 Race, Montana.
155 U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs, "Assistant Secretary Sweeney Clears the Path for Tribes to Develop Energy Resources on Tribal Land," Press Release (December 23, 2019).
156 U.S. EIA, U.S. Energy Atlas, All Energy Infrastructure and Resources, Montana, accessed April 19, 2024.
157 Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, Crow Nation, accessed April 22, 2024.
158 Mining Data Solutions, Absaloka Mine, accessed April 22, 2024.
159 Baltz, Tripp, "Mining Tribal Land Weighs on Crow Family as Cost of Prosperity," Bloomberg Law (March 12, 2020).
160 Regan, Shawn, "Unlocking the Wealth of Indian Nations: Overcoming Obstacles to Tribal Energy Development," Introduction and Major Energy Resource Tribes table, Property and Environment Research Center (February 18, 2014) p. 4.
161 "Northern Cheyenne Tribe won't touch coal deposit despite economic woes," Indianz.com (June 27, 2017).
162 Eggert, Amanda, "Solenex will retire last oil and gas lease in Badger-Two Medicine," Montana Free Press (September 1, 2023).
163 U.S. Department of the Interior, "Final Oil and Gas Lease to be Relinquished in Montana's Badge-Two Medicine Area," Press Release (September 1, 2023).
164 Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, Blackfeet Nation, accessed April 22, 2024.
165 Groover, Heidi, "Prize and Poison," University of Montana (2011).
166 Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, accessed April 22, 2024.
167 Milbrandt, Anelia, and Donna Heimiller, Techno-Economic Renewable Energy Potential on Tribal Lands (July 2018), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Figure 2, Wind generation potential by reservation, p. 6; Table 6, Fifteen Tribal Lands with the Highest Technical Potential for Photovoltaic Electricity Generation, p. 11.
168 Milbrandt, Anelia, Donna Heimiller, and Paul Schwabe, Techno-Economic Renewable Energy Potential on Tribal Lands (July 2018), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Table 18, Fifteen Tribal Lands with the Highest Technical Potential for Hydropower Generation, p. 33.
169 U.S. Department of Energy, Indian Energy Policy and Programs, Montana Tribes Realize Long-Held Vision of Acquiring Kerr Dam: Interview with Energy Keepers Inc. CEO Brian Lipscomb (September 16, 2015).
170 Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Understanding Energy in Montana 2023, p.27-28.
171 Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, accessed April 22, 2024.
172 Milbrandt, Anelia, Donna Heimiller, and Paul Schwabe, Techno-Economic Renewable Energy Potential on Tribal Lands (July 2018), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Figure 9, Biopower generation potential by reservation (including extended areas of 10 miles adjacent to the tribal land boundaries), p. 19.


Other Resources

Energy-Related Regions and Organizations

Other Websites

map