Trust us, says NorthWestern Energy, the state’s largest utility, which filed a historic rate increase request two years ago, but has been hit with another big request from Montana customers this year.

Trust us, says the same company that can’t even tell the truth in an oral argument before the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court when it says a coal-fired power plant in southern Montana is the largest plant west of the Mississippi, even though it doesn’t appear to be in the top three. And don’t even get me started on NorthWestern’s crocodile tears about having to update Colstrip when it literally planned to downsize it because of exorbitant pollution control costs that have been known about for decades.

Trust us, says NorthWestern, as it rushes headlong into more fossil fuels while most other utilities are investing in renewables, some building multimillion-dollar projects in Montana to transport energy to multiple states.

It is no surprise, then, that NorthWestern is again asking for confidence, as it seeks to exclude the public from meetings where members of (*checks notes again) the public are supposed to help craft a plan for the utility’s future in Montana.

The public, it turns out, is a burden and an inconvenience, but not so much that the utility cannot provide us with a healthy return.

In fact, NorthWestern Energy has such little respect for the public that they have told the Montana Public Service Commission that it is “essential” to keep the public out of meetings where the future of Montana’s energy landscape is discussed. In fact, utility officials have such a disdain for the public that they won’t even reveal the members of their company who sit on the Electrical Technical Advisory Committee, which is required by law to be, well, public.

The Montana Public Service Commission has shown a renewed sense of independence of late, both demanding answers about this secretive commission and publicly reprimanding NorthWestern for its sloppy rate proposal – twice.

Like all publicly regulated utilities, NorthWestern is guaranteed a fair return (read: profit margin) in exchange for the public’s involvement in its business. There are probably many companies that would take that deal — a guarantee of financial success, for a little public scrutiny.

The problem is twofold: NorthWestern has a history of getting whatever it wants from the Public Service Commission, either by bluff or legal threats. And the company shies away from the humiliation of having to explain why it prefers to shut out the public.

But NorthWestern learns the most basic rule of public participation. It is true that involving the public in commentary and participation guarantees a longer, messier process. It is not easy for companies or leaders to continue on their own path. And involving the public, even dissenting voices, means compromise and sometimes consideration of uncomfortable questions, such as the role of burning fossil fuels in the sometimes catastrophic climate change taking place under the “Big Sky.”

I would suggest that NorthWestern wants both. It wants to dictate how and what it builds in the future, and also dictate the price it wants to extract from captive customers who have no choice but to pay. However, that ignores the public part of the utility, which is that customers should have a say in what kind of energy we want.

By deliberately not releasing information, even the most basic details like who sits on the committee and what topics are being discussed, NorthWestern is creating its own PR nightmare in which ratepayers, residents and curious columnists assume the worst is happening because the utility admits it is deliberately withholding information that everyone believes should be public.

It is excellent that the groups that have brought this issue to the forefront continue to demand action. If we are to be held captive by a company whose future plans include taking us back to the coal era, then transparency would be welcome. And we are encouraged that the Public Service Commission has taken a more critical and even confrontational stance, literally bringing the “public service” part back into the equation.

So if NorthWestern Energy is asking us to trust them, I would suggest we turn the tide: when do they start trusting the public?