HELENA — A Montana legislative committee has tabled a bill that would have required two owners of the Colstrip power plant to pay for the economic losses caused by a partial plant shutdown.
The House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee vote to advance the bill failed on an 8-8 tie Monday.
The two older units of the coal-fired plant must close by July 2022 under a legal settlement.
The bill by Republican Sen. Duane Ankney of Colstrip would require Talen Energy and Puget Sound Energy to submit a closure plan. The plan would have to address the loss of property values, worker retraining, the loss of state and local tax revenue and local government’s bond liabilities.
Republican Rep. Derek Skees of Whitefish says the bill would set a bad precedent.