(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Laurel says it needs more time, more answers, before deciding on zoning for NorthWestern gas plant – Daily Montanan [1] ['Darrell Ehrlick', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2024-01-18 LAUREL – History repeated itself Wednesday in Laurel. And history may look similar in two weeks when it comes to who gets the final say in how to zone land where a large industrial power generation station being built by NorthWestern Energy will operate. A month ago, the Laurel city-county planning and zoning board took up the issue of updating its 2020 growth policy plan, a necessary step in what is becoming a complicated tug-of-war between the city and Yellowstone County, while a district court case plays out as well. In December, residents packed the small city hall in Laurel largely to protest the construction of the plant and the greenhouse gases that will be emitted by the 18 reciprocal internal combustion engines fired by methane, or natural gas. They were ready to do the same on Wednesday night, but the planning commission decided to hold another public workshop in hopes of clarifying some legal questions, as well as giving the public more opportunity to give feedback. NorthWestern Energy has said when and if the project is completed, it plans to invest more than $250 million in building the plant, and says that it’s necessary for a reliable power supply in a growing industrial area and the state’s largest county. However, critics have said that the state’s largest public utility has exploited a zoning gray area, and the new plant will generate tons and tons of greenhouse gases, the very kind that have been challenged successfully in the recent landmark Held vs. State of Montana decision in which a district court judge found that the state is not doing enough to protect the environment, as specified by the Montana Constitution. The land that the plant sits on is in the county and is unzoned. However, it is close enough to the Laurel City limits that state law allows the city the power to dictate future zoning based on the likelihood that land there will soon be incorporated into Laurel based on the process of annexation. The Yellowstone County Commissioners have sent the issue to the planning-zoning board for an answer on zoning, and the City of Laurel said that it has unanswered concerns about the move to zone a large swath of land along the Yellowstone River as “heavy industrial,” especially because of the proximity of residential and agricultural land. Because of its unanswered concerns and resident pushback, the planning and zoning commission will hold a workshop at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31 where it hopes to have answers back from the county’s civil legal division as well as time to hear more concerns from residents. Though the Yellowstone County Commission had given the planning and zoning board until Wednesday night to make a decision on the land by updating or modifying the city’s growth plan, a document that will guide the town’s future expansion, city planner Kurt Markegard said that Yellowstone County understands that the city needs more time to sort out the issues and listen to the public. Before that decision was announced on Wednesday evening, several residents spoke about the power generation station, and one person spoke in defense of Laurel’s need for more industrial business. “I want the commissioners to know that Laurel does not abdicate its responsibility to the Yellowstone County Commission,” said Priscilla Bell, a Laurel resident who spoke. Several others quoted different portions of the Montana Constitution, including a guarantee of a clean and healthful environment, plus provisions that allow residents to sue government for not protecting the land. When one man offered his copy of the constitution to the members, the chairwoman politely replied, “We already have a copy, but thank you.” “Laurel is not a tourist town,” said resident Philip Gilbert. He said the community is centered on industries like the CHS refinery and the railyards, as well as a fiberglass plant. “These citizens appear to want to hijack these hearings in order to punish NorthWestern Energy,” he said. Several planning commissioners said they want to hear more from the residents and have more answers. They told the standing-room-only group that spilled into a side room and the entryway that they shared concerns about heavy industrial zoning going close to the river. “We are not the enemy,” said planning chairwoman Judy Goldsby. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/18/laurel-says-it-needs-more-time-more-answers-before-deciding-on-zoning-for-northwestern-gas-plant/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/