Montana lawmakers want to make it costly to close Colstrip plant

If some Montana lawmakers have their way, shutting down two coal-fired units of a power plant that provides electricity to much of the Pacific Northwest won’t be cheap or easy for the plant’s owners.

A package of bills crafted by a legislative panel would hit Puget Sound Energy and Talen Energy with millions of dollars in fees for 10 years following the closure of Colstrip Units 1 and 2 in southeastern Montana. It also would raise taxes on all electricity producers in Montana to pay for $50 million in grants to communities that lose natural resource jobs.

Full Story: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/montana-lawmakers-want-to-make-it-costly-to-close-colstrip/article_1ea17839-474c-516f-9fe4-f49415c7b509.html