Montana News
EPA argues pollution standards shouldn't be delayed for Colstrip
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. Lawyers for U.S. environmental regulators have rejected claims that new pollution standards should be paused to help Montana's Colestrip power plant. MTPR's Ellis Julin has more. This year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released new standards limiting the neurotoxins and cancer-causing chemicals emitted by coal plants. The standards require plants to filter out that pollution. Montana's coal-fired power plant in Colestrip is one of the largest emitters of these pollutants in the country. Last month, two of the owners of the Colestrip plant, Northwestern Energy in Tallinn, Montana, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause these standards. The companies say the costs to get the Colestrip plant into compliance threatens its survival and the state's power reliability. Lawyers for the EPA refuted the company's claims. Over 90% of coal plants in the country already have the filtration technology in place. The agency says Colestrip's failure to modernize is a self-inflicted harm that does not justify a court-mandated pause. Power plants have three years to comply with the new standards. The EPA's proposed regulations have been celebrated by healthcare professionals and climate advocates as a win for public health. In Missoula, I'm Ellis Chulin.