By Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan
Supreme Court said Board of Environmental Review made several errors about the project’s impact
Huge dump trucks go back and forth in a mine about 10 miles outside of Colstrip, Montana. These trucks take coal and dump it a loading station, where it is then carried by conveyor to the plant which sits inside the city limits. This truck, was originally painted yellow, but appears black from the coal dust and dirt (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).
The Montana Supreme Court has reinstated an order that halts Westmoreland Rosebud Mining from expanding its coal mining operation near Colstrip because the state failed to properly consider expert testimony on water quality.
The decision sends the case back to the district court, the Montana Board of Environmental Review and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for more consideration. It is a process that began in 2009 when Westmoreland Mining sought to expand the coal mining operations, which are used exclusively to fire a power plant in Colstrip.
