A Billings doctor told Yellowstone County commissioners about his concerns with a proposed data center and power plants in Broadview.
Watch the full video below:
Dr. Robert Merchant, a Billings Clinic pulmonologist, says the pollution could cause increased death, along with respiratory and cardiac issues for patients.
Merchant says the proposed project needing a nearly 1,800-megawatt power plant would be 10 times bigger than the 175-megawatt Laurel generating gas plant.
He says that that would lead to more pollution and more health problems and add $20 million to $50 million in medical costs.
Commissioners heard some serious statistics at Thursday's meeting.
“It increases the number of heart attacks and strokes,” Merchant said. “It increases the number of days of lost work.”
Merchant is also part of Montanans for Affordable Energy, a group focused on Montana's energy policies.
He says if the proposed data center set to be built in Broadview includes natural gas plants, they need to be built the right way or people will pay the price.
“The amount of gas they're going to be burning is just so much higher than anything else we've seen,” Merchant said.
Quantica released information earlier this year saying it plans to build gas plants that can generate almost 1,800 megawatts of power as a way to ensure uninterrupted power at its proposed Big Sky Digital campus.
“The real concerning size is what's called PM 2.5, or particulate matter 2.5, and these are very fine particles,” Merchant said. “They're about 1/30 the size of a hair. But they're so small that when you breathe them, they get very deep into the lungs. ”
The particulate matter is what the Montana Department of Environmental Quality measures to determine when breathing can be risky.
Merchant says EPA models indicate one to three people would die each year from the particulate matter air pollution.
“About seven new cases of asthma per year,” Merchant said. “It increases the number of heart attacks and strokes. ”
MTN asked NorthWestern Energy to address Merchant's' concerns,and a spokesperson says its engine designs reduce emissions.
Quantica also released a statement:
“Fringe opponents of responsible development want you to believe the sky is falling, as they do with most job-creating projects that benefit the community, but the sky is not falling,” said Travis Hall, Quantica spokesman.
But Merchant himself says he's not an opponent of data centers.
He says the goal is to educate, and he would like to see commissioners and state agencies make sure the proposed project is safe.
