By Karen Graham, Digital Journal
A Montana judge has canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas power plant under construction along the Yellowstone River.
The 35-page ruling from Yellowstone County District Judge Michael Moses was a victory for environmentalists and landowners near the project along Thiel Road south of Laurel, who filed suit in October 2021.
Moses ruled that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality failed to take a “hard look” at the environmental impacts of the 175-megawatt plant on two fronts: greenhouse gas emissions and lighting, reports KTVQ.com.
Judge Moses faulted the DEQ for not conducting an analysis of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, which is a violation of the Montana Environmental Protection Act.
The ruling noted that Montana officials had failed to adequately consider the 23 million tons of planet-warming greenhouse gases that the project would emit over several decades
