Archive: April 2023

Local Volunteers Act to Clean, Restore, and Renew Billings and Yellowstone County

19 April 2023
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During the 2023 Great American Cleanup Bright n’ Beautiful Great America Cleanup Day in Billings Slated for Earth Day, Saturday April 22 Billings, Bright n’ Beautiful, a Yellowstone County nonprofit which seeks a clean, green, and more beautiful community, has named Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, “Great American Cleanup Day” in Billings.

Volunteers across town are invited to come out Earth Day morning to tackle litter in their neighborhoods and public spaces. In 2023, Keep America Beautiful and its affiliates, like Bright n’ Beautiful, celebrate the 25th year of the Great American Cleanup.

Every year, the Keep America Beautiful network of 700 affiliates mobilizes thousands of volunteers to spring clean the nation. “Great American Cleanup is a beloved annual tradition in Billings and communities all across Yellowstone County,” said Joanie Tooley, Executive Director of Bright n’ Beautiful. “It’s fun to get out there together and clear away a winter’s worth of litter to make our home brighter and even more beautiful.”

 “All who are able should participate this year on Earth Day, April 22,” said Billings Mayor Bill Cole. “There’s something exhilarating about working alongside neighbors and having a personal hand in refreshing our neighborhoods just in time for the glories of our Montana spring.” Those interested in litter pick-up activities during Great American Cleanup are encouraged to contact Bright n’ Beautiful at brightnbeautifulbillings@gmail.com, or 406-248-6617, to sign up for a cleanup spot, arrange to borrow safety vests and litter pickers, and receive free supplies.

All cleanup efforts will be included in the Yellowstone County 2023 Great American Cleanup report. Home Base on Billings Cleanup Day, 4/22, will be the Billings Community Center, 360 N. 23rd St. Doors open at 8:30 AM for check-in and supplies.

Walk-ins welcome while supplies last. Cleanup Billings from 9 am to 1 pm. Billings Public Works has provided large roll-off dumpsters:

 • Downtown: Parking Lot opposite Billings Community Center, 360 N. 23rd St.

• Heights: Parking lot of Castle Rock Park, W. Wicks Lane and Nutter Blvd.

• West End: Parking lot of Stewart Park, 26th Street W & Central Ave.

Additional Yellowstone County Great American Cleanup events this season include:

• Shepherd Lions Annual Highway Clean-Up, 4/22 8 am, meeting at Shepherd Community Center

• Laurel Community Cleanup, 4/29-4/30, from Grace Bible Church, 917 Washington Ave.

• Worden/Ballantine Cleanup Day, Saturday, 5/6, 9 am, meeting on Worden Main Street.

Bright n’ Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives to inspire and educate the people of Yellowstone County to take action to honor the Montana home we are privileged to share. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful and its 700 affiliates nationwide work to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities.

Legislature Nears the End

19 April 2023
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By Dan Brooks, Billings Chamber of Commerce

Tomorrow is Legislative Day 71, giving lawmakers 19 more days before legislative business must conclude. And despite having over two weeks left to work, I’d wager they wrap up in April, going Sine Die (concluding the legislative session) without using any days in May. Just a hunch…

Considering the recent holiday, I felt it appropriate to highlight a different rise from the dead. No, I don’t mean to detail our favorite Maiar’s return to the mortal realm of Middle Earth, given new life by Eru Ilúvatar. I want to look at legislative blast motions, the process by which either body, house or senate, can vote to bring a bill to the full floor, giving it renewed life.

 During floor sessions, members of the house or senate can make the motion to take a bill that’s been tabled in committee and place it on the floor agenda for a scheduled 2nd reading, allowing a vote by the whole body, and bypassing the previous decision of the committee. Successful blast motions breathe life back into a bill that had been effectively dead, although many of the bills that receive a second chance will still end up dead in the end.

Billings Strategic Partners and supporters of the One Big Sky District project should remember the importance, and disappointment in, the potential of blast motions. After it was tabled in (S) Tax, SB 340, the 406 Impact Districts bill, failed a blast motion by a couple votes on the Senate Floor, the final nail in the coffin for the bill in 2019.

 As you can see from the information below, each legislative session is different. Legislators have varying appetites for making blast motions, and the bodies differ on whether they want to entertain them, somewhat undermining previous committee decisions.  While the 2017 and 2019 sessions each have over 40 blast motion attempts, the success of the efforts remained limited.

We’ll see how many more blast motions are made this session as legislators make last ditch efforts to save their bills. With lawmakers starting to see the light at the end of the legislative tunnel, it’s unlikely they will want to bring many more bills to the floor.

2023 Legislative Session (thru Apr 7)

Successful blast motions: 4 out of 24

We’ll see how many more blast motions are made this session as legislators make last ditch efforts to save their bills. With lawmakers starting to see the light at the end of the legislative tunnel, it’s unlikely they will want to bring many more bills to the floor.

2023 Legislative Session (thru Apr 7)

Successful blast motions: 4 out of 24

HB 432 – Generally revise abortion laws (Fail)

HB 448 – Revise laws related to right to work (Fail)

HB 515 – Revise property tax payment procedures (Passed)

HB 784 – Revise laws related to school elections (Fail)

HB 837 – Require curriculum transparency in K-12 education (Fail)

HB 953 – Create election security & integrity complaint/enforcement process (Fail)

HJ 5 – Resolution for congressional term limits (Fail)

HJ 13 – Resolution for Article V Convention for a balanced budget amendment (Fail)

SB 15 – Provide for all ages homeowner and renter tax credit (Fail)

SB 110 – Provide property tax assistance to elderly homeowners (Fail)

SB 120 – Establish the Chief Earl Old Person memorial highway (Passed)

SB 141 – Create indigenous people’s day (Fail)

SB 161 – Revise board of investment laws (Failed on both attempts)

SB 194 – Income tax credit for landlords who rent for below market rate (Fail)

SB 233 – Enhance legislative understanding of state-tribal relations (Failed x2)

SB 276 – Revise laws related to prevailing wage (Fail)

SB 361 – Prohibit discrimination by any person/entity because of firearms (Passed)

SB 390 – Provide freedom in school choice (Fail)

SB 437 – Generally revise abortion laws (Fail)

SB 449 – Provide limitations on collections of taxes (Fail)

SB 464 – Revise laws related to eyewitness lineups (Passed)

SB 517 – Establish graduated fee on short term rentals (Fail)

Senate Bill 14 Sen. Greg Hertz (R) SD 6

Revise MEDIA Act film credit cap

Senate Bill 14 raises the cap for the MEDIA Act tax credits from $12 million to $20 million, with 25% of the credits going to a company domiciled in the state. The MEDIA Act was passed in 2019 and then increased in 2021. Incentivizing film production in Montana leads to numerous other benefits, providing manufacturing and trades jobs, increasing tourism, growing local businesses and economies, and diversifying Montana’s mix of industries. This bill passed the senate 30 – 20 and will be heard in (H) Taxation on April 13th. Billings Chamber: Supports

Billings Chamber: Supports House Bill 819  Rep. Paul Green (R) HD 41

Create Montana community reinvest act

The Montana Community Reinvestment Plan Act creates an affordable housing program that distributes funds to communities, proportionate to a counties’ gross domestic product, to fund housing cost buydowns for eligible home buyers—those making between 60% – 140% of average median income. The bill has over 50 cosponsors and passed the house with nearly 3/4 in support. Passing HB 819 would provide one element of a multi-element housing affordability strategy, including reducing barriers and regulations to housing development. This bill will be heard in (S) Business and Labor, April 12. Billings Chamber: Supports

House Bill 652 Rep. Steven Galloway (R) HD 24

Revise UI law related to benefit duration

With almost 60 co-sponsors, this bill revises the duration of unemployment benefits from 28 to 20 weeks. Currently, Montana has one of the longest unemployment benefit durations in the U.S. Our businesses face continual workforce shortage challenges, reflected in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Shortage Index designating Montana as one of the most severely impacted. A reasonable reduction in the length of unemployment benefits is likely to result in more unemployed people returning to the workforce and helping our businesses. Tabled in committee on April 6, 10-0.

Billings Chamber: Supports

Senate Bill 269 Sen. Greg Hertz (R) SD 6

Consumer protections in litigation financing

This bill provides thoughtful reforms to protect consumers from potential predatory practices in third party litigation financing (TPLF) and increases transparency. TPLF is a relatively new and unregulated practice where hedge funds and other wealthy entities invest in the outcome of court cases. This bill shines a light on TPLF by requiring TPLFs to register, limiting interest rates charged to plaintiffs, requiring disclosure to all parties of TPLF involvement, and capping TPLF’s share of winnings from plaintiffs. Missed deadline. Billings Chamber: Supports

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Jobs Weaken, Could Mean Recession

19 April 2023
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From National Association of Manufacturers

While unemployment is reaching historically low numbers in the US, the labor market may be softening, according to jobs numbers reported by The Washington Examiner.

The U.S. economy added 236,000 jobs in March, short of expectations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In manufacturing, employment edged down by 1,000, reported the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). NAM stated, “A weaker jobs report indicates that the Fed’s rate hikes are beginning to work and could cause the central bank to lean toward a more dovish monetary stance.”

Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees in manufacturing rose to $25.91 in March from $25.78 in February, with 4.7% growth in the past year.

March’s numbers follow several months of strong job gains. Jobs have so far proved resilient to inflation, but this latest report “raises fears that a recession is right around the corner.”

Adding to indications of a softer labor market is last week’s number of new applications for unemployment benefits.

At 228,000, the figure was much higher than recently reported numbers.

First Interstate Bank Receives SBA Award

18 April 2023
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First Interstate Bank received an SBA award for producing the highest dollar amount of SBA 7a loans in the 2022 SBA fiscal year, at a total of $10,442,300. We are proud to receive this award as a testament to our commitment to communities and small businesses.

As a community bank, our focus is and always will be on the people, the businesses, and the natural environment of our communities. Throughout the last few years, First Interstate has been dedicated to being a top 100 SBA lender. We have built a strong team of experts in the SBA lending environment to help better serve our clients and their business needs.

“Our teams throughout Montana are there to help businesses with their next chapter,” said Jeffrey McGough, SBA Lending Specialist for First Interstate. “We believe that to be strong corporate citizens, it is our responsibility to ensure our communities thrive, and we are incredibly honored to receive this award.”

Feds Create Race, Gender Speech Codes for Scientists

18 April 2023
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By Casey Harper, The Center Square

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal and science technology office, has made race and gender speech codes for its scientists a top priority.

The guidance, for example, tells federal employees not to use the words “blacklist” or “whitelist” because of the racial connotations and also cautions against “using terms that assign a gender to inanimate objects, such as male/female connectors.”

The NIST is a little-known government agency tasked with helping the U.S., among other things, stay technologically ahead of rivals like China. Congress appropriated about $1.65 billion for the group for 2023.

Lawmakers recently hammered the Pentagon for investing heavily in critical race theory and gender ideology. The National Institutes of Health has done so as well, along with other agencies.  

The NIST is one of many federal agencies putting its attention and taxpayer funds into these efforts as it struggles to keep pace with its key mission. The NIST sparked controversy for its “Inclusive Language Guidance,” which tells scientists which words or phrases they can or cannot use in reports.

From the document:

– Consider that biased terms, such as blacklist/whitelist, also may introduce comprehension issues.

– Avoid terms such as master/slave that perpetuate negative stereotypes or unequal power relationships.

– Avoid identifying an individual’s gender unless necessary for comprehension, or using terms that assign a gender to inanimate objects, such as male/female connectors.

– Avoid descriptive terms that are condescending or reductive in favor of language that the groups being described would prefer.

Steven Lipner, chair of the Congressionally authorized Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, sent a letter to NIST in 2020 recommending the whitelist and blacklist changes as well as the changes for master and slave usage.

“Many technology and security standards contain racially insensitive language that is both offensive to many of our colleagues and is also, in many respects, ambiguous – technically and culturally,” the letter said. “Examples of such language include using the terms blacklist and whitelist instead of block-list and allow-list and using the terms master and slave.”

Jennifer Huergo, a spokesperson for NIST, told The Center Square the guidance “was created primarily for the benefit of NIST staff experts who participate in the development of documentary standards as expert collaborators and leaders.”

“Use of inclusive language helps to avoid potential gaps in understanding that could arise from the use of colloquial or idiomatic expressions that are rooted in particular historical events or regional dialects,” she said. 

The NIST’s DEI office also promotes liberal ideas around gender and sexuality. The DEI staff page features the preferred pronouns of its employees as the first priority in the bios.

The issue has regularly been thrust into the forefront because while Americans are largely split on the debate over gender identity and critical race theory, federal agencies have largely embraced it and put millions of taxpayer dollars behind it.

A Pew Research report released last summer found that while most Americans say there is discrimination against transgender people, “60% say a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth, up from 56% in 2021 and 54% in 2017.”

The NIST speech code also links to the American Psychological Association’s webpage on “biased language,” which goes on at length about the myriad of possible genders, and the need to cater to them.

“Transgender is used as an adjective to refer to persons whose gender identity, expression, and/or role does not conform to what is culturally associated with their sex assigned at birth,” APA says. “Some transgender people hold a binary gender, such as man or woman, but others have a gender outside of this binary, such as gender-fluid or nonbinary. Individuals whose gender varies from presumptions based on their sex assigned at birth may use terms other than ‘transgender’ to describe their gender, including ‘gender-nonconforming,’ ‘genderqueer,’ ‘gender-nonbinary,’ ‘gender-creative,’ ‘agender,’ or ‘two-spirit,’ to name a few.”

The taxpayer-funded speech guidelines also quote racial theory from a book written by Tukufu Zuberi, a professor of Race Relations and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania steeped in critical race theory. The book is titled “White Logic, White Methods.” Zuberi also penned an article titled, “Critical Race Theory: A Commemoration.”

While the U.S. is a world-leader in developing intellectual property, it lags behind in the ability to manufacture it. For example, the source of electric batteries, seen as the future of the green energy movement, is largely overseas. In fact, China made about three quarters of the world’s lithium ion batteries in 2021, while the U.S. made only 7%.

County Treasurer Announces Retirement

18 April 2023
Evelyn Pyburn
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Sherry Long, Treasurer for Yellowstone County, has informed County Commissioners of her intention to retire. Long’s last day serving her third term in office will be July 31.

Long stated, “After the last 3 years of going through the challenges of working through orchestrating the workflow, scheduling, and meeting the many deadlines, with the severe staff shortages, we are finally fully staffed and therefore are better able to serve the public in a timelier manner.  I feel my office is at a good spot now for me to retire.”

“I have enjoyed my last 8+ years serving the citizens of Yellowstone County, and I thank them for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to do so,” said Long, a Republican, who was first elected to the position in 2014.

Prior to that she was an assistant to the County Superintendent of Schools, a role that has since been scaled down a part time position, which Long also fills on a stipend. The Treasurer’s office also serves the role as county assessor, which is also a stipend position.

The County Commissioners are charged with finding a replacement for Long. According Commissioner John Ostlund the process will involve advertising the position to seek applications. The commissioners will then conduct public interviews of candidates who apply and make a selection prior to July 31.

The office of the Treasurer receives and disburses all monies, as dictated by state law, and records these transactions. The Treasurer reports to the Montana State Department of Revenue on administrative matters while the County Commissioners have budgetary authority.

The office is divided into two groups. One deals with motor vehicle matters, including registrations, title transfers and applications, and the issuance of temporary stickers and permits. The other serves as the general office for activities including receipts from taxes, fees and intergovernmnetal transfers. It also processes disbursements, invests funds, maintains bank accounts, seizes tax delinquent property, handles tax protests, and issues moving permits for mobile homes.

Family Promise Closes on Property for Housing

17 April 2023
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Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley has closed on a new six-unit property to expand its Transitional Housing program. The new six-plex is being funded through grants from the Gianforte Family Foundation and Fortin Family Foundation, and community donations. Family Promise has also secured a contract for an adjacent duplex and expects to complete that purchase by the end of July. Together, the two properties will enable the nonprofit to triple its transitional housing capacity, from four to 12 units.

According to Lisa Donnot, executive director of the organization, the new properties are ideally located in the Grand Avenue corridor. “The properties are near our current transitional housing on Avenue C, close to schools, services, grocery stores, and the bus line,” she said. 

Family Promise is nearing the end of a capital campaign for its transitional housing program expansion, raising more than $900,000, with $300,000 left to raise by the end of July. 

Donnot says that more than 600 Billings children face homelessness each year and that the problem is growing. “In the last year, we’ve been contacted by twice as many people as in the past. Approximately 60 percent are families in need of housing due to sales of their homes.” Rising home prices in Billings have led to increases in rent, Donnot explains. “Once a house is sold, the tenants are often unable to find housing at an affordable rate.”

Gianforte Family Foundation Executive Director Catherine Koenen adds, “A lack of adequate, affordable housing puts our most vulnerable children and families at even greater risk. We’re pleased to help Family Promise expand its capacity to safely shelter more Billings-area residents and provide the tools they need to succeed in raising their families.”

Family Promise helps homeless families through emergency shelter, food, and essential services, including a diaper bank, furniture, and motor vehicle donations. The organization’s case managers work closely with families to ensure they can live independently and successfully, through hard work, goal setting, budgeting, and sound decision making.

More than 90 percent of families served by Family Promise attain long-term independence from homelessness, Donnot says. “Our case managers assess what barriers the families need to overcome in order to be successful,” Donnot says. “People in crisis likely have other challenges apart from housing, such as credit issues. Our goal is to help them achieve sustainable independence.

Donnot says that Family Promise welcomes both volunteers and donors. “We need about 1,400 volunteers a year to keep our program going, so we are always looking for people to help.” 

Canary in a coal mine ….

17 April 2023
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By Senator Steve Daines 

Over the past two years, Montanans watched the President’s attack on oil, coal and natural gas bring our nation to the brink of an all-out energy emergency.

Gas prices rose to more than $5 a gallon and many Montanans are worried about how to heat their homes without breaking the bank.

We aren’t the only country grappling with the effects of a leader who is unrealistic about our nation’s domestic energy needs.

Europe’s energy crises over the past year make it clear that energy security is national security. When decision-makers start yielding to the whims of the radical green movement, terrible things happen.

In a meeting with Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc, one of the few European leaders to deliver a balanced energy portfolio to his nation, he told me something I will never forget – that a vision without an action plan is a hallucination.

We need a diverse portfolio of made in America energy that includes renewables like hydropower, wind and solar. We should use them to add capacity, not subtract. But the facts are fossil fuels will remain the most relied upon sources of energy for the next 30 years or more.

Thanks to Europe serving as a canary in a coal mine, the signs of a looming energy crisis could not be clearer – it’s time to protect American energy security and break free from this radical, green hallucination before it’s too late.

Gas Prices Steadily Rise, Biden Takes Fire

16 April 2023
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By Casey Harper, The Center Square

Gas prices continue to rise in the U.S., hitting the highest level in months.

Now, the concerns and political ramifications for the Biden administration are starting to rise as well.

“Gas prices are rising,” said economist Stephen Moore. “Joe Biden is doing nothing except push a crazy green agenda that will make prices even higher. “If America went back to Trump’s energy policies, we’d be producing 2 million barrels more a day.”

According to AAA, the average national price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.56, up from $3.49 a week ago and $3.41 a month ago.

Those energy price woes were exacerbated earlier this week when OPEC+ announced a significant cut in oil production, something likely to raise prices for American consumers.

“Saudis to cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day,” said Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas. “This will definitely impact our economy and gas prices. This is why it’s so important to become and remain energy independent.”

Americans are already paying much more for energy than when Biden took office. Gas prices hit record highs last summer, surpassing $5 per gallon nationally. Those prices afterward dipped, in part because Biden relied heavily on the Strategic Petroleum Oil Reserves. Now, those reserves are at their lowest level since 1984, and Biden will have to use them more sparingly, if at all, to fend off future price increases.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also disrupted global oil markets. The war was expected to end by now, but it has continued with no sign of peace in the immediate future.

Biden’s defenders have pushed back, pointing to oil companies’ profits despite higher prices hurting Americans.

“While you were paying through the nose at the gas pump, Big Oil companies were using the cover of inflation to jack up prices and line their pockets,” said Robert Reich, a Berkeley professor and former Secretary of Labor. “BP’s CEO recently boasted that in 2022 his company had its ‘lowest production cost in 16 years.’”

Critics have hit the Biden administration’s role in rising energy prices, pointing to Biden’s discouragement of domestic oil and gas drilling and pipeline development. House Republicans recently passed the Lower Energy Costs Act, which would encourage domestic drilling to lower prices, but it is unlikely to get the Democratic support needed to succeed in the Senate.

“The Senate should pass H.R. 1 immediately and President Biden finally needs to put politics aside and unleash the power of American energy,” said Daniel Turner, who leads the energy workers advocacy group Power the Future. “Otherwise we are headed back to $4 dollar a gallon gasoline as the norm, among many other unpleasant factors.”

Some experts project the decision by OPEC+ could raise energy prices by 26 cents. Other experts say the decision by OPEC+ is a sign of the future.

“Given the transition the world is undergoing as it embraces ‘clean and green energy,’ OPEC+ understands all too well that its still highly valued ‘liquid gold’ will at some point begin to lose its shine,” said Quincy Krosby, Chief Global Strategist for LPL Financial. “Until then, as the countries dominating OPEC+ prepare for the future by spending trillions of dollars rebuilding infrastructure and refocusing away from crude oil as their primary source of income, managing the price of crude will be used more directly and aggressively than was anticipated.”

Biden also recently took fire for lowering the nation’s oil reserves to what some consider dangerous levels. House Oversight Republicans said in a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm making that very point.

“By gutting vital fuel storage to lower short-term prices, the Biden Administration exposed the U.S. to future market volatility and increased supply dependence on adversarial nations instead of supporting an all-of-the-above energy approach to unleash American energy potential,” the letter said.

Court Delivers Blow to Power Plant at Laurel, NWE will Appeal

16 April 2023
Evelyn Pyburn
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Despite the conclusion of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) that air quality measures are adequate in the operation of NorthWestern Energy’s Laurel Generating Plant, a Thirteenth Judicial District Court has ruled that the DEQ’s issuance of a permit in 2021 was unlawful. The decision, made by District Court Judge Michael Moses, brings into question the air quality assessments done by DEQ specialists and invalidates the permit the state agency issued. That means construction must be halted on the Yellowstone County Generating Station near Laurel, which the utility company claims is essential to meet the future energy needs of Yellowstone County.

NorthWestern Energy responded saying they will seek an immediate stay to allow continued construction, and will appeal the decision. Company spokespeople noted that while the District Court found only two limited issues with Montana DEQ’s analysis, “… the court unfortunately took the extreme step to vacate the air permit.”

Neighbors of the proposed project, called the “Thiel Road Coalition”,who have been organized in part by the Montana Environmental Information Center, (MEIC) say they are concerned about the plant’s impacts on their health, property, businesses and the Yellowstone River.

Earthjustice represents MEIC and Sierra Club in the lawsuit, in conjunction with four citizens, who filed suit on October 21, 2021, challenging the permit for NorthWestern Energy’s proposed 175-megawatt methane gas-fired power plant located next to the CHS Refinery at Laurel. The suit claims the DEQ’s evaluations did not consider the plant’s potential “greenhouse gas emissions and associated climate impacts in Montana,”

 “We are very concerned that this project will harm people who live near the proposed plant,” said local resident, Steve Krum. “Every time we have raised concerns about the impacts this plant will have on the quality of life of the neighbors and the Yellowstone River, those concerns have been dismissed.”

In a press release, NorthWestern Energy stated that it “appreciates that Montana District Court Judge Michael Moses supported the majority of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s air quality permit…”  issued to NorthWestern Energy “after significant review and analysis for construction of the Yellowstone County Generating Station.”

In its press release, MEIC stated, “The Court’s ruling critiqued DEQ for failing to analyze the gas plant’s greenhouse gas emissions and associated climate impacts in Montana, as well as the plant’s impacts on our quality of life.” MEIC further stated that “if constructed, the Laurel Generating Station would emit at least 769,706 tons per year of climate-harming greenhouse gasses. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of 167,327 passenger vehicles.”

The Montana DEQ issued the air quality permit to NorthWestern Energy on Sept. 8, 2021, “After significant review and analysis,” said NorthWestern Energy Vice President of Supply and Montana Government Affairs John Hines, who oversees environmental compliance and stewardship. Hines expressed his concerns saying, “This ruling appears to require new criteria to be analyzed and jeopardizes reliable service for our Montana customers during critical times when customer energy demand is high, the coldest nights and the hottest days, typically times when renewable resources are generating little or no energy.  Our air permit was reviewed and approved by the DEQ using standards that have been in effect for many years. ..We will work with the DEQ to determine the path forward.”

MEIC said in its press release, that the DEQ violated the Montana Environmental Policy Act by issuing the permit “without fully evaluating the environmental consequences of plant construction and operation.”

“My business, my family and my home will be directly impacted by NorthWestern’s proposed project. We have raised our concerns every step of the way, and state and local governments keep ignoring us,” said Kasey Felder, a landowner, small business owner and member of the Thiel Road Coalition. “We were worried we would get a ‘Braveheart’ ending to this story.  It’s a relief to know the scales of justice are still in balance, and the little guy can be heard.”

“For too long it’s felt like a David versus Goliath battle. I’m so tired of the government and NorthWestern ignoring us. We live here. We have raised concerns time and time again about the impacts of this plant,” said Carah Ronan, farmer, small business owner and member of Thiel Road Coalition.

John Hines pointed out that NorthWestern Energy relies on the energy market “more than any of our peer energy companies in the region. The region faces an increasing probability of near-term deficits in its energy supply during peak load conditions, and the chance of shortages is expected to grow unless the region invests in new capacity, resources always-available to generate energy in all weather conditions.”

“If it was operating today,” he said, “NorthWestern Energy’s Montana customers could have avoided at least $4.7 million in market purchases from Dec. 20 to 26, 2022 during the Arctic cold front when record low temperatures were set in several areas of Montana.

“The Yellowstone County Generating Station natural gas plant is a critical part of a balanced and affordable portfolio that includes renewables and generation that is available on-demand, 24/7,” said Hines. “A balanced portfolio is essential to support the responsible transition to cleaner generation resources without compromising energy service reliability.”

Although left unidentified, the MEIC press release stated “…lower-cost clean energy resources are available.”

During peak- use NorthWestern Energy needs 1500 megawatts of power. They can generate only 750 megawatts, which forces the utility to go out into the market to purchase as much as 50 percent of the power needed to meet demand. One-third of the power NorthWestern Energy provides to the state is consumed in the Billings area – about 450 megawatts.

As the public demands more “clean energy” from alternative resources, reliance on wind and solar energy is becoming greater, but those energy sources need a dependable back up for “when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.”

The Laurel site is 36- acres purchased from CHS. The property is adjacent to a NorthWestern Energy sub-station and transmission lines, which are being enlarged to accept the energy that is generated.

The $250 million natural gas plant will generate 175 megawatts of electricity, operating reciprocating internal combustion engines. The Laurel Generation Station is projected to be operational by the winter of 2023-24.