DEQ Releases Supplemental Draft Environmental Assessment on Proposed Natural Gas Plant in Yellowstone County
HELENA—The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comments on a Supplemental Draft Environmental Assessment, developed under the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), for the Laurel Generating Station proposed by NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern). The Laurel Generating Station is a proposed 175-Megawatt natural gas power plant, consisting of 18 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines, to be located south of Laurel in Yellowstone County, Mont.
DEQ previously reviewed the potential environmental impacts of the Laurel Generating Station in 2021. On August 23, 2021, following public review of its draft analysis, DEQ published a final environmental assessment and approved NorthWestern’s application for a Montana air quality permit under the Clean Air Act of Montana.
DEQ’s 2021 environmental assessment was subsequently challenged in the 13th Judicial District Court. In April of this year, the court found that DEQ adequately addressed many of the issues that were challenged, including the issues of pipeline routing, water quality impacts, aesthetic impacts from noise, miscellaneous aesthetic impacts, and sulfur dioxide emissions. The district court, however, found that DEQ did not adequately address two issues: the potential aesthetic impacts from lighting and the potential impacts of greenhouse gas emissions within the borders of Montana. The district court ordered DEQ to conduct further analysis of these issues.
Shortly after the district court’s order was issued, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 971, amending § 75-1-201(2)(a) of the Montana Code Annotated to explicitly preclude any evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions and corresponding impacts to the climate in an environmental review under MEPA.
To comply with the requirements of the district court order and House Bill 971, DEQ has prepared additional analysis of the potential aesthetic impacts of light from the Laurel Generating Station. This analysis supplements DEQ’s 2021 environmental assessment.
MEPA allows state agencies to determine the appropriate level of public review based on the complexity and seriousness of the environmental issues associated with the proposed action and the level of public interest. In consideration of the anticipated high public interest but given the limited scope of the issues addressed in the Supplemental EA, DEQ will accept comments on the Supplemental Draft EA through July 3, 2023.
To view the Supplemental Draft EA and learn how to comment, please visit the DEQ website at: https://deq.mt.gov/News/publiccomment-folder/AQ-NWE-Laurel-2023-06-01
Tags: Air and Press Release