Just when I think I can’t get any more cynical about politics… In the July issue of Rural Montana, a newsletter published by the Montana Electric Cooperative Association, John Walsh states, “The federal government should stay out of the business of requiring particular energy sources for electricity generation..” He then states that each energy source should be able to “compete based on their cost.” But yesterday in the Laurel Outlook, he stated, “That’s why I’m introducing a bill in the Senate to force the Obama Administration to protect coal jobs by…
I know. I know. It’s hard to call this news since the Tongue River Railroad seems to always be in a perpetual state of delay. But today, representatives from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced on the monthly Section 106 Consultation call that the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Tongue River Railroad won’t be out until sometime around April 2015.
It is no secret that Arch Coal and Burlington Northern Santa Fe are pushing to turn the Otter Creek and Tongue River Valleys into an industrial corridor to ship Montana’ s coal to Asia. I have moments of cynicism where it seems that we are at the mercy of international financial markets, political power brokers and men in suits that make a living in a boardroom. I know that, to them, southeastern Montana is nothing but an untapped natural resource piggy bank that they can use to increase…
I woke up this morning to a phone call from a friend in southeastern Montana. “Did you read the Billings Gazette this morning?” “Not yet, why?” “Arch Coal just lost their ass.” What he was referring to was today’s headline in the Billings Gazette, Arch Coal writes DKRW Advanced Fuels’ coal gasification project as a $57.7 million loss. The coal to liquids project they proposed in Medicine Bow, Wyoming was a speculative venture (at best) that would have bilked taxpayers out of billions of dollars in public loan guarantees….
ICF International, the third party contractor who is completing the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Tongue River Railroad is also the third party contractor hired to complete the EIS for the Longview coal port terminal in Longview, Washington. Arch Coal, who is proposing to develop a large coal mine in the Otter Creek Valley of southeastern Montana, is invested in both projects. (ICF is also involved in the Keystone XL project and had financial ties to TransCanada) On February 27, 2014, ICF International released a white paper optimistically…
Take 12 minutes out of your day and watch one of the most compelling short films I have ever seen. Directed by Carly Calhoun and Sam Despeaux.
Today, blasting at the Rosebud Coal mine owned by Western Energy Company created clouds of hazardous gases which is a common occurrence in coal strip mining. The actual meteorological conditions at the time of firing the blast will have a significant impact on the fume plume and its local effect, including low cloud cover and inversions. The orange color indicates a high concentration of nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide. When inhaled, nitrogen dioxide becomes nitric acid as it encounters moisture in the lungs. Exposure to the gas can cause…
Imagine. Today you receive a manila envelope in the mail. It has an aerial map of your house. The map shows an orange railroad track right going directly through your driveway. A letter is included with the map. It says you have to allow the railroad company, owned by Arch Coal and BNSF, on to your land so it can conduct engineering and environmental surveys. It also threatens you with eminent domain. What would you do? I’m pretty sure you’d fight like hell. ************* On April 18, 2013,…
On the very last day of 2013 Mike Dennison wrote a story for the Billings Gazette about the sale of Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) hydroelectric dams in Montana to Northwestern Energy. It was a wonky energy piece that most people might skip over. However, the article had a very interesting piece of information. In documents filed with the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC), NorthWestern Energy made it abundantly clear that they did not want to buy PPL’s coal fired power plants at Colstrip. Not only did they not…
“We don’t have a right to ask whether we’re going to succeed or not. The only question we have a right to ask is ‘what’s the right thing to do? What does this earth require of us if we want to continue to live on it?’” Wendell Berry. If you want to understand the history and politics of coal in Montana you should read Last Stand At Rosebud Creek by Michael Parfit. The book is about coal. It is about people. It is about power. It is a…