Cleaner air possible with coal plants, Bullock says

BILLINGS – Gov. Steve Bullock said Friday that Montana can meet the Obama administration’s goal of reducing climate pollution while protecting energy-related jobs and avoiding the closure of coal plants that generate the bulk of the state’s emissions.

The White House plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 has generated a backlash in many coal-dependent states.

Republicans in Montana have sought to capitalize on the issue ahead of November’s election, asserting the climate plan amounts to a war on coal.

With Friday’s announcement, Bullock, a Democrat, moved to blunt such criticisms with alternatives that cut emissions but don’t shut down coal plants. Those include the huge Colstrip Steam Electric Station run by PPL Montana, a 2,400-megawatt facility that churns out about 15 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, or about half the state’s total.

A Montana Department of Environmental Quality study released by Bullock offered five potential scenarios, including the more aggressive use of renewable energies, greater efficiencies and new technologies to capture carbon dioxide and keep it from entering the atmosphere.

All five scenarios would keep existing power sources except the 154-megawatt Corrette coal plant in Billings, Bullock’s office said. PPL is slated to mothball Corrette by next year.

The Department of Environmental Quality study was silent on the potential for the White House proposal to hurt the coal industry on the mining side. Montana leads U.S. states in coal supplies, with an estimated 120 billion tons in reserves. Its six major mines produced 42 million tons of coal last year.