Article published Jun 4, 2007

Power-plant proponents answer activist's charges

By RICHARD ECKE

Tribune Staff Writer

Backers of a coal-fired power plant near Great Falls fired back last week at an environmental activist.

Anne Hedges, program manager for the Montana Environmental Information Center in Helena, earlier contended that plant backers appealed a state air-quality permit so their plant could pollute more.

The MEIC and Citizens for Clean Energy filed a separate appeal as well.

But Tim Gregori, general manager of the Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission Cooperative in Billings, the proposed plant's developer, denied Hedges' claim that SME wanted to use an unapproved method to allow the plant to release more particulates.

"We believe that her view of the world needs some refinement," Gregori said Friday.

He said SME wants to pin down a method that would accurately measure particulates from the plant. Gregori added that federal officials have admitted a standard Environmental Protection Agency measuring method can lead to erroneous results.

Gregori said the plant developer simply wants to know the ground rules before the plant is built.

"Would you want to know the rules?" he asked.

"I agree with him," Hedges retorted Friday. "So I guess he doesn't mind our appeal either."

Mayor Dona Stebbins also criticized Hedges last week, especially regarding the notion that SME was pushing a method that would allow more pollution.

"I think that's a figment of her imagination," Stebbins said. "I think SME just felt it wasn't specific enough."

Hedges said other industrial plants accepted the state's measuring methods.

"It's good enough for every other industry in the state," Hedges said. "How come it's not good enough for SME?"

An SME news release said the plant "fully intends to meet all of the limits in the permit." Both sides have a chance this month to expand on their reasons for appealing the final state air-quality permit for the project.

Meanwhile, Gregori said representatives of SME and the city of Great Falls, partners in the power plant project, met with representatives of the federal Rural Utilities Service on financing for the plant and other issues during the last half of May.

"We had good meetings with the finance folks" at RUS, Gregori said.

He said a final decision on financing for the plant will be tied to the release of the federal government's 2008 budget.

"This year, they're shooting for September, October or November," Gregori said. But he noted the final 2007 federal budget was not approved until February of this year.

Such details appear to mean there will be no groundbreaking for the power plant in the next few months, which some backers had predicted.

Cascade County also is in the process of rewriting its zoning laws so the owners of the proposed power plant site can reapply for a zone change later in the summer. The county started over after a lawsuit uncovered mistakes in the process used to approve a zone change late last year that paved the way for the power plant to be built.

Meanwhile, in Washington last week, City Manager John Lawton signed a document calling for the city of Great Falls to provide water and sewer services to the plant, according to Assistant City Manager Cheryl Patton.

The City Commission will be asked to ratify the agreement at Tuesday's regular meeting at 7 p.m. The coal-fired Highwood Generating Station is expected to go online in 2011 or later, if legal efforts to block the plant fail.

The city would not immediately annex the power-plant property. The land would be annexed when Great Falls officials decide to do it, Patton said.

"When would that be?" Commissioner Sandy Hinz asked at a meeting.

Patton said annexing the power-plant property now "doesn't make a lot of sense," since the plant will be several miles from city utility lines. The Salem Road plant site is about eight miles from the city.

"John (Lawton)'s talking three to five years" until the site is annexed, Patton said.

Commissioner John Rosenbaum predicted developers will snatch up land between the city and the plant site, given what will eventually be easy access to utilities.

Rosenbaum called the utilities deal between the city and SME "another step" in the power-plant project.

Hinz asked what would happen if the City Commission refused to approve a deal to provide water and sewer lines to the plant.

Patton said SME would then look into using septic tank systems and wells.