The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued its final supplemental environmental assessment for the Yellowstone County Generation Station in Laurel.
Environmental groups are once again raising concerns over Northwestern Energy's natural gas plant, also known as the Laurel Generating Station.
Watch story on Yellowstone County Generation Station here:
It's a project that has been filled with lawsuits and delays and the complaints have not stopped despite it being up and running for more than a year now.
This new round comes after environmental groups believed the DEQ did not do enough when re-assessing the effects of lighting and greenhouse gases.
The court asked the DEQ to look at two areas.
“Lighting and greenhouse gasses,” said Bo Wilkins, DEQ air quality bureau chief.
Wilkins says the final supplemental environmental assessment states the DEQ has not identified any significant impacts associated with the proposed action, from many lighting resources and relative to the greenhouse gas assessment.
“We just took a more in-depth look at at lighting and then also for greenhouse gas emissions and its potential impacts,” Wilkins said
"This is positive for Montanans," Jodee Black, Northwestern spokesperson, stated in an email response. "The Yellowstone County Generating Station, located in Montana and dedicated to serving Montanans, meets regulatory and environmental standards and delivers reliable, efficient energy in any weather, helping keep energy bills as low as possible while ensuring dependable service."
The plant has 18 internal combustion engines.
It has been operating since March 7, 2024.
This latest environmental assessment came about from a Montana Supreme Court ruling that involved environmental groups challenging the DEQ's initial assessment.
“This is a pathetic attempt at trying to respond to the courts demand that the agency do a proper analysis,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, which, along with the Sierra Club, stated that the DEQ did not look at cumulative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.
“This plant is going to exacerbate the climate crisis,” Hedges said. “That this plant is going to contribute to hotter, drier summers that this plant is going to contribute to more, and increase in wildfires.”
Hedges disagrees with the DEQ's assessment of the effects of lighting from the plant.
“It's very lit up,” Hedges said. “These people are really upset by the impacts to their homes and their businesses.”
The report shows responses to the 77 public comments submitted.
“There's a significant new portion of the EA that's addressing all of the public comment that we received on the EA,” said Jeremiah Langston, DEQ staff attorney.
Still, Hedges says her group wanted more analysis.
“It is going to make that problem worse in Montana, which will affect our economy, people's livelihoods, and public health,” Hedges said.
“It's complying with Clean Air Act, and then we've fulfilled requirements of (the National Environmental Policy Act) within this environmental assessment,” Wilkins said.
