coal

The owners of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant are now required to study how the city of Colstrip will keep its supply of drinking water if the plant ever shuts down.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed that requirement into law Wednesday.

Colstrip relies on the power plant owners to transport drinking water over 30 miles from the Yellowstone River.

Town Mayor John Williams stood in front of the legislature this year to ask for help in securing that flow if the plant closes

“We are very dependent upon that source of water for our town supply.”

A bill that would have allowed Montana’s largest electric utility to recover costs and a rate of return from its customers for coal-fired power generation was tabled in committee Wednesday.

The first application period for $10 million in transition funds is now open for workers and communities affected by last year’s closures at two of the Colstrip power plant’s four units.

The operator of the Decker coal mine in Montana announced bankruptcy and layoffs Dec. 03 due to poor coal market conditions.

Utah based Lighthouse Resources filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the District of Delaware Thursday.

For years, Montana’s political leaders have been advocating for technology that traps carbon at power plants and other industrial sites. So far, carbon capture has seen a slow start. The two candidates facing off for a Montana U.S. Senate seat in the upcoming November election recently highlighted their carbon capture initiatives.