Washington move gives Montana breathing room on coal
People in the Colstrip area, and many Montanans in general, are breathing a sigh of relief after the Washington state Senate this month approved legislation regarding Colstrip’s huge coal-fired power plants.
The Washington Senate declined to require the oldest parts of the Colstrip station, Units 1 and 2, to be shut down during the next few years. Instead, the legislation more generally allows Puget Power and Light to begin setting money aside, in case the two units are shuttered, for decommissioning the plants and cleaning up the site.
COLSTRIP: A town built on coal worries about future
Originally, legislation considered by the Washington Legislature would have tried to force the closure of Units 1 and 2 in Montana, a move that in turn might have prompted lawsuits by Montanans seeking to keep the units open.
Instead, Washingtonians took a more moderate approach, with several senators saying they wanted to work with Montanans and who were concerned about the effects on the economy of eastern Montana. We appreciate the wisdom of the Washington legislators and their willingness to be flexible in a matter that is important to many in Big Sky Country.
We also think it was helpful for Montana legislators and officials to let Washington officials know Montana jobs are on the line in this long-running debate, and that the state’s economy needs to be considered.
So a compromise was reached. Northwest utilities can prepare for the future, without a direct effect on Colstrip for now. None of the power from Units 1 and 2 is owned by Montanans; NorthWestern Energy, Montana’s dominant utility, owns 30 percent of Colstrip 4, one of the two new units.
COLSTRIP, PART II: Coal, climate clash in Colstrip
This doesn’t end the controversy over coal-fired power in Montana, but it does give officials on various sides some breathing room.
Speaking of breathing, it’s a fact coal-fired power is one of the dirtiest methods of generating electricity today, especially in generating polluting carbon dioxide gas. Natural-gas fired power plants are cleaner, for example, and wind-generated and solar power are cleaner still.
Montanans should not be placed in the position of battling until the bitter end to keep running Units 1 and 2, which are so old it’s doubtful it would make sense to pour more money into them. Units 1 and 2 originally were expected to last only 30 years when they went online in the mid-1970s.
Missoula economist Thomas Power, in an op-ed published in the Tribune Nov. 27, suggested “the shutdown of the dirtiest and least efficient coal-fired generators in Montana” would create cleaner air and would not devastate Montana’s economy. He said Colstrip Units 1 and 2, as well as the Lewis and Clark generator at Sidney, “are already being considered for retirement for reasons unrelated to the Clean Power Plan.” An Environmental Protection Agency plan to reduce air pollution nationwide recently was put on hold by the federal courts.
The bottom line is Units 1 and 2 are old, and the costs to upgrade their energy efficiency would be substantial.
Analysis: Largest coal reserves will be tapped out in 40 years
We think it’s a good idea that Washington and Oregon utilities and legislatures consider Montana’s economy when it comes to the fate of Colstrip 1 and 2, but that’s not the only issue here.
It’s better to have clean air than dirty air. It’s not a good idea to throw good money after bad.
Coal will slowly be left behind as researchers and entrepreneurs come up with better ways to generate power, including ways to store power generated by wind and sun more efficiently, and an efficient, energy-producing nuclear fusion plant remains at least a decade away.
There also is the simple fact that, for new power plants, natural gas pollutes less than coal and it’s dirt-cheap right now. An Associated Press story in today’s print edition of the Tribune says coal in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana may run out in 40 years at current rates of mining, much sooner than anticipated.
All in all, coal-fired power will be used for decades more, and there appears to be little danger that Colstrip Units 3 & 4 will close anytime soon.
However, Montanans within the next decade will need to come to grips with the fact that the smaller Colstrip Units 1 & 2, owned by out-of-state utilities, won’t keep operating forever. Fortunately, the Washington Senate has given Montana more time to plan its energy future.
— Tribune editorial board