Governor Greg Gianforte and Senator Steve Daines held a roundtable in Colstrip Tuesday that brought together stakeholders who want to see a future of coal continue in southeastern Montana.
Daines kicked off the roundtable on the site of the Rosebud coal mine that feeds the nearby power plant.
“I’m watching president Biden doing everything he can to shut down Made in Montana energy, and that means targeting Colstrip,” Sen. Daines said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released rules in late April that cut down on emissions from existing fossil-fueled power plants, like the one in Colstrip. The EPA estimates climate and public health benefits will net up to $370 billion over the next two decades.
According to the EPA, coal-fired power plants are the largest source of greenhouse gasses from the power sector—and that’s true for Montana. Data show the Colstrip power plant made up more than half of the state’s emissions in 2022.
The plant is currently owned by six different companies, including Talen Energy and Northwestern Energy, both of which had leadership present at the round table.
Dale Lebsack, with power plant operator Talen Energy, said the new rules could shutter the plant earlier than planned.
“If it's implemented, that greenhouse gas rule will force the Colstrip owners to either retire the plant by 2032 or spend potentially billions of dollars on carbon capture technology that, while promising, is not yet commercially viable,” Lebsack said.
NorthWestern Energy has said it intends to stay at the plant until 2042.
Meanwhile, other co-owners of the power plant, such as Avista and Puget Sound Energy, are based in states phasing out of coal-fired generation and have announced their exits from Colstrip. Both Talen and NorthWestern have expressed their interest in buying out these companies' shares to get a larger stake in the Colstrip plant.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal-fired power made up 45 percent of the state’s electricity generation last year, the largest portion from any one generation type in Montana.
