There was more confirmation last week that our future in Montana will no longer include the Colstrip coal-fired electrical plants. The Burton K. Wheeler Center at Montana State University sponsored a conference in Billings about coal. 350 Montana didn’t attend, but The Billings Gazette did and reported that coal is declining and “isn’t going to bounce back in the United States.”
The Gazette article is here: http://billingsgazette.com/
The question raised, then, is where will Montana get its energy in the future if not from coal?
If you feel strongly, as we do, that the time is right to move to renewable energy, then I would encourage you to come with us to Butte next Wednesday, April 18, for NorthWestern Energy’s public hearing on its energy procurement plan. The company will be releasing several new studies and will argue that its only choice is to invest more than a billion dollars of its customers’ money in new fossil fuel generators.
We’re leaving from Missoula early on a bus organized by the Montana Sierra Club, and we’ll be back by mid-afternoon. Field trip! If you’re interested and can get away, please send an email to yswolfhowl@gmail.com and we’ll save a seat for you.
Coal is going down, which is a good thing for our climate, our children and grandchildren. But now is the time to stand up and demand a carbon-free future. I hope you can join us.