NorthWestern Energy’s Hypocrisy in Protecting Montana Residents • Daily Montanan

As someone who helps people make financial decisions, I worry about the largest utility company in our state, NorthWestern Energy.

NorthWestern provides electricity and natural gas to more than 400,000 homes and businesses statewide. As such, the utility has an obligation not only to provide energy on demand but also to consider the well-being of Montana residents and the environment. Indeed, NorthWestern’s corporate-approved directory, which details its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments and sustainability goals, states that the company recognizes the privilege of being an energy provider and recognizes “a profound responsibility and a great opportunity to be good stewards of the environment.” However, Montana citizens should not be fooled by NorthWestern’s superficial corporate greenwashing. The utility’s actions determine its reputation, and its current actions regarding protecting air quality and public health are reprehensible.

Here in Montana, the Colstrip plant is classified as a mega-polluter with substandard pollution control technology. According to the magazineScience,” hundreds of preventable deaths can be attributed to emissions from the plant that could have been avoided if modern pollution controls had been implemented. Over the past decade alone, the Colstrip plant has released 3 tons of lead, 1.5 tons of arsenic, 2 tons of chromium, 10 tons of manganese, 2 tons of nickel, and 5 tons of selenium into the air, making it the most polluting coal-fired power plant in America. These pollutants enter the air we breathe and settle in our beautiful Montana rivers and streams.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its pollution regulations for coal-fired power plants. The regulations are a much-needed overhaul of air quality standards that haven’t been updated in more than a decade. The EPA predicts that if fully implemented, the regulations could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths across the United States. The Colstrip plant could meet the standards and save lives by simply installing a baghouse filter to reduce airborne toxins. This isn’t new technology; 170 similar coal-fired plants across the country operate using the same technology as the Colstrip plant. Each of these coal-fired plants—except for the Colstrip plant—has modern pollution controls that specifically target airborne particulate matter and toxins.

Protecting clean air by installing industry-standard pollution controls should be obvious to anyone who cares about human life. Instead, NorthWestern Energy has taken the cheap, dirty route to please its shareholders at the expense of those who like to breathe. In his first shot at the rule, CEO Brian Bird claimed that public health regulations would require Colstrip to retrofit the plant with “unproven technology” by tough “deadlines.” These claims are demonstrably false, especially considering that every similar coal-fired power plant in the country uses this “unproven technology.” Why Mr. Bird and NorthWestern Energy believe that the Colstrip plant should be given a special exemption, knowing that other coal-fired plants have made the investments necessary to reduce pollution and protect public health, is puzzling and deeply troubling. In fact, NorthWestern has gone so far as to join Talen Energy in appealing the rule to the U.S. Supreme Court to block its implementation.

At the same time, the company is looking to acquire a majority stake in the Colstrip plant, citing its desire to operate it until at least 2042. Continuing to operate this polluting facility while completely opposing efforts to modernize pollution control technologies undermines its stated ESG principles. If NorthWestern is going to brag about its commitment to these principles and protecting the environment and the people of Montana, its actions need to speak louder than words. The company claims a “deep obligation” to protect clean air and public health, yet it is arguably the worst utility in the country when it comes to making the necessary investments to ensure its operations do not cause illness or death.

Don’t be fooled by NorthWestern’s false ESG claims. Money talks, and NorthWestern’s money is in pursuit of pleasing shareholders, not protecting the Montana public.

Peter Burns was born and raised in Montana. He has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado Boulder. He currently helps Montana families plan for retirement as an investment advisor with Sankala Group.