Article published Oct 26, 2007

Can you imagine?

At first I thought the notion of building a coal-fired power plant with their towering polluting smokestacks adjacent to the Great Falls, the Lewis and Clark Trail, and the beautiful Missouri River was only an ill-conceived whimsy, but can you imagine the efforts of the city and county administrators and the power company were actually serious?

My concerns are mostly summarized in an article in the Helena's Independent Record (Oct. 18, 2007) that stated, "At least 16 coal-fired power plant proposals nationwide have been scrapped in recent months and more than three dozen have been delayed as utilities face increasing pressure due to concerns over global warming and rising construction costs."

The misguided mentality to pursue such a destructive course in this day and age is beyond me. Had I wanted to live next to a polluting coal-fired power plant, I would have moved to Colstrip. I understand the mayor and the county commissioners never asked the people for their approval in this democratic nation, and now they want us to vote for them.

Can you imagine that?

— George P. Horse Capture, Great Falls