Portland General Electric

The Pacific Northwest co-owners of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant are seeking protection from a new Montana law they say hurts their chances at negotiating their business dealings

Two new Montana laws that aim to keep the Colstrip coal-fired power plant open and running sparked a lawsuit from plant owners who say the government is intruding on private business dealings.

The residents of Colstrip rely on the local coal-fired power plant pumping in clean drinking water from the Yellowstone River. The plant uses the water for its operations, but also sends some of it to town. This means there are major questions about what will happen to the local water supply if the plant ever shuts down.