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After an announcement that Colstrip units 1 and 2 will be shut down over the next six years due to a legal settlement over an environmental lawsuit, Montana Senator Steve Daines is criticizing President Obama, “fringe environmental groups,” and fellow Montana Senator Jon Tester for over what he describes as “a step backwards” for Colstrip. “We have voted several times here on legislation to move forward to stop the president’s Clean Power Plan, to stop whats going on at the EPA,” Daines said. “Harry Reid and the democrats have… it requires 60 votes to get something past the senate… we

Senator Steve Daines today, April 27, urged Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to tour Colstrip and the Crow Reservation during her upcoming travel to Montana. “Secretary Jewell needs to hear directly from the people impacted by Interior’s actions and come to communities like Colstrip and the Crow Reservation to see what it means for Montana families,” said Daines. “We’ve already seen layoffs in coal communities across our state as a result of the Obama administration’s war on coal. I encourage Secretary Jewell to meet with folks in Colstrip and the Crow tribe to hear directly from them about the impact of

The backburner issue simmering for weeks about the potential closure of Units 1 and 2 of the Colstrip power plant was how the oil refineries, silicon plants and mining companies that buy electricity directly from those units would be affected. Those industry buyers, known in utility jargon as “large customers,” began hinting a few weeks ago of job losses and rising consumer prices for things like gasoline if cheap Colstrip power from Units 1 and 2 went away. Those two units, the oldest and dirtiest in the four-unit Colstrip power complex, face serious challenges. Actions by the two units’ current

A Montana oil refinery says it will lose a key power supplier if Colstrip is shuttered. CHS Inc., which refines oil in Laurel, gets more than half its power from Colstrip Power Plant, which faces an uncertain future as power companies in the Pacific Northwest prepare to dump coal-generated electricity and tighten pollution controls under the Clean Power Plan to address climate change. It was the Clean Power Plan that Patrick Kimmet, Laurel Refinery vice president cited Monday while meeting with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. “We are reviewing the potential effects of the Clean Power Plan,” Kimmet said. “But

Senator Steve Daines is spending the next two weeks highlighting the energy needs of Montana businesses, and advocating for policies that protect the state’s fossil fuel industries, including coal interests that are facing significant challenges. Daines kicked off what he’s calling his Montana Energy tour today with a stop at the CHS refinery in Laurel. CHS Refinery Manager Pat Kimmet puts into perspective how important electricity is to the Laurel facility. “$18 million for power and $15 million for wages and benefits.” “And the fact that their power bill here in Laurel, Montana for this operation is greater than their

Losing part of Colstrip’s 40-year-old power plant would devastate Montana’s economy through possible job losses and higher power bills, state elected officials and industry backers said Monday in Billings. They urged the business-friendly audience to speak out against federal regulations they say would hurt the coal industry. “President Obama stopped the Keystone pipeline. Next on his to-do list is to kill the coal industry,” U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said at the forum sponsored by Big Sky Economic Development. About 180 people attended the gathering at Crowne Plaza in downtown Billings. Included in the audience were state lawmakers, county commissioners