(C) Daily Montanan
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This isn't the holiday gift we wanted – Daily Montanan [1]

['More From Author', 'January', 'Mary Catherine Dunphy']

Date: 2024-01-01  

Recently NorthWestern Energy (with the Public Service Commission’s blessing) gave its Montana captive ratepayers a 28% rate increase, and NWE has even more “to give” its ratepayers in the future. Sometime in 2024, NWE ratepayers will also get to pay for the $275 million, methane gas power plant currently under construction in Laurel.

NWE’s ratepayers in Montana, (and everyone else downwind) will also be getting polluted air from the 175-megawatt methane power plant which NWE has admitted will emit 49.4 tons of formaldehyde pollution; 103.8 tons of particulate matter; 14.1 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 165.4 tons of volatile organic compounds into the air we breathe. All these hazardous air pollutants, are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, and are not going to be healthy for anyone to breathe. It will be especially bad for those people living in Yellowstone County, where there are three refineries already negatively impacting air quality and people’s lungs.

But wait. NWE has even more to give – when the 18 reciprocating internal combustion engines are running, it will sound like the equivalent of 54 locomotives coming down the tracks. All this “giving” from NWE should do wonders for people’s hearing and property values in Laurel and Yellowstone County.

NWE’s spokeswoman was quoted recently saying “reliable energy service, especially during the winter, is critical for our customers’ lives.” I think most of NWE’s customers would agree what is absolutely critical to their lives is clean, healthy air to breathe, and a healthy planet that isn’t overheating from methane gas pollution. There are cleaner ways (and just as reliable) to generate electricity.

The Laurel Methane Gas Power Plant is going to poison our air, negatively impact people’s health, and add to the climate crisis. And, NWE’s ratepayers are going to get to pay for that poisoned air each-and-every month for more than 30 years — in addition to the recent 28% rate increase. They may also get to pay more medical bills each month. However, due to a big tax relief “gift” for industrial taxpayers from the 2023 legislature, NWE gets to pay $36 million of dollars less in property taxes this year.

To add insult to injury, NWE is constructing the Laurel power plant without the proper zoning permit, and there is also a court case brought before the Montana Supreme Court by the Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club trying to stop the methane power plant from becoming operational because greenhouse gases were not considered in the DEQ air quality permit – all 770,000+ tons per year of greenhouse gases. Recently, the “climate kids” from the Held vs. Montana trial filed an amicus brief in support of this case. We all have to hope that the Montana Supreme Court upholds every Montanan’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and Montana’s constitution will protect us all from NWE’s methane gas monstrosity in Laurel from ever becoming operational.

By the way, just north of Billings on Alkali Creek is the MTSun Solar Farm, a recently constructed 80-megawatt solar farm which emits no harmful pollutants as it generates electricity. NWE could have constructed the equivalent of slightly more than two MTSun solar farms (with battery backup) near Laurel to provide reliable electricity with no air pollutants. It chose not to. One can’t help but wonder why not, at a time when renewable energy now makes up 80% of new electricity generation capacity? Do you think it was for NWE’s profits at the expense of the health of people and planet?

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/01/this-isnt-the-holiday-gift-we-wanted/

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