The operator of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant submitted its cleanup plan for parts of the plant it shuttered early this year.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality accepted Talen Energy’s remediation plan for the now-defunct Units 1 and 2 and opened up public comment on that report this week.
Sara Edinberg with DEQ says the plan inventories what’s left inside the buildings.
"The plan essentially has been addressing all the solids and hazardous wastes, removing asbestos, all that stuff, before they would go to demolish the buildings themselves," said Edinberg.
The report includes a list of objects that contain asbestos, from flooring to roofing material, and other items that may contain mercury, like light bulbs.
The document also proposes future possible uses of the properties, which Talen suggests could be industrial purposes or pasture land.
DEQ says the comment period ends in November and the state will issue a final decision on the remediation plan in January. Members of the public can email or mail their comments to DEQ.
