by Micah Drew, Oregon Capital Chronicle
June 23, 2026
A former Montana Public Service Commissioner will be the next to lead the federal government’s nonprofit northwest power marketer.
Travis Kavulla, originally from Great Falls, will be the next chief executive and Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced Monday.
“Travis Kavulla’s extensive experience in the energy sector will strengthen Bonneville’s ongoing efforts to expand and modernize energy infrastructure and ensure regional grid reliability,” Wright said in a statement. “I look forward to partnering with Bonneville as it builds on its legacy as the region’s leading provider of wholesale power and works to secure a prosperous future for the people of the Pacific Northwest and our nation.”
Kavulla was elected to Montana’s PSC in 2010 at the age of 26, and was re-elected in 2014, serving in his role until 2019.
After his term in office, Kavulla worked for the California Independent System Operator, which operates much of that state’s power grid, did a short stint at think tank R Street Institute, and has been a vice president at NRG Energy for the last seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
BPA markets power from 31 federal dams throughout the Columbia River Basin and one nuclear plant to nonprofit consumer-owned utilities, operates a majority of the region’s high-voltage transmission grid and funds one of the largest fish and wildlife programs in the world.
The agency supplies public power utilities in northwestern Montana, including Missoula Electric Cooperative and Flathead Electric Cooperative.
“Having someone with Montana roots and broad utility-sector experience in this position is meaningful for Flathead Electric Cooperative and the members we serve,” Jason Williams, Flathead Electric Cooperative’s incoming chief executive and general manager, said in a statement. “Montana utilities face unique challenges related to growth, reliability, affordability and long-distance transmission. We look forward to working with Mr. Kavulla and the BPA team to ensure those realities are understood as important decisions are made about the future of energy in the Northwest.”
Montana is home to two federal hydropower dams that contribute renewable energy to the regional grid operated by BPA — Hungry Horse Dam, on the South Fork Flathead River, and the Libby Dam, which sits on the Kootenai River and created the transboundary Lake Koocanusa.
Kavulla’s announcement has drawn affirming statements from energy officials and watchdog organizations.
“We are hopeful that Administrator Kavulla will help BPA be a strong partner in developing the most efficient and affordable market trading system possible in the West,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center. “With rapidly escalating power bills, it is critical that BPA focus on how to provide an affordable and reliable energy system. That requires BPA to rethink how to ensure we have a transparent and robust single west-wide market.”
Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit will swear in Kavulla at Bonneville’s headquarters in Portland on June 29.
This story was originally produced by Daily Montanan, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Oregon Capital Chronicle, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: [email protected].