With the future of the Colstrip Power Plants now in question, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is taking his energy fight on the road on a statewide tour to promote what he calls “Made in Montana Energy.”
The Republican kicked off his 10 city tour Monday in Laurel at the CHS Refinery on Monday, and on Wednesday, he visited KRTV.
Daines said his goal is to underscore the importance of Montana’s energy and how losing Colstrip will impact the state’s economic future.
“It would be devastating to our state. It’s a loss of 7,000 jobs. It’s a loss of $500 million a year of economic activity. It’s $140 million a year in loss of taxes that go to our schools and our teachers,” he said.
“Energy jobs pay two and three times the state average in terms of wages, and those are good wages, good paying jobs that Montana families can live on,” said Daines.
“It’s important for the taxes we pay to support our schools, teachers and infrastructure. We have an abundance of energy here in Montana, but it’s under threat by the Obama Administration’s regulations that may shutdown Colstrip units one, two, three and four.”