by Michael J. Marino
NorthWestern Energy (NWE) says they plan to appeal a recent court decision which vacates the company’s air quality permit for the Yellowstone County Generating Station, a gas-powered energy plant, which was under construction near Laurel prior to the ruling.
District Court Judge Michael Moses issued the ruling April 6, after Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) and the Sierra Club filed suit against NWE and Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in October 2021. The lawsuit challenges DEQ’s decision to give NWE an air quality permit for the proposed station, citing concerns from several neighbors who live and work near the site.
According to the initial complaint, the generation station “would contribute to regional air quality problems, risk water contamination… and cause significant greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to climate change.” The Court’s decision invalidates the permit and requires NorthWestern Energy to stop construction of the generating station along the Yellowstone River in Laurel.
The concerned neighbors formed a group called Thiel Road Coalition (TRC), named after the street most of the members live off of in Laurel, to formally take a stand against the utility building a methane gas plant in the area.
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