Before ending its biennial session May 2, the Legislature’s Republican majority created several laws plowing a regulatory road for mining and fossil fuels.
Lawmakers cited NorthWestern’s environmental permitting problems at its Laurel-area gas-fired power plant as cause for stopping state agencies from considering climate change impacts.
The state’s largest utility provider and the owner of the Laurel Generation Station announced it was appealing the decision to the Montana Supreme Court, asking the high court to stay the order.