MEIC worked very hard to account for the true costs of the Highwood Generating Station.
In July 2010, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of MEIC and 61 farmers and ranchers owning property near the proposed Highwood Generating Station. The Court ruled that Cascade County’s rezoning of 680 acres of agricultural land to heavy industrial for the plant constituted illegal spot zoning. This was a landmark ruling that reaffirmed the role of zoning as an important and reliable tool for protecting property. The case forced Southern Montana Electric to reconsider plans for a coal plant, instead building a plant powered by natural gas.
