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Four Montana counties will shoulder brunt of coal economy losses

In Rosebud County, where coal is king, Robert Lee and his fellow county commissioners asked the state Department of Revenue what it would mean to the county’s bottom line if half of Colstrip Power shut down.

Montana’s tax collector responded in three sobering pages, which Lee thumbed through Friday at his commissioner’s desk. Colstrip Power Plant, which is actually a complex of four different coal-fired generators collectively cranking out enough electricity for 1.6 million homes, pays for 80 percent of the taxes in Rosebud County, population 9,329.

Coal’s in trouble because of the changing world markets and tougher pollution regulations. The shuttering of Colstrip units 1 and 2 seems more likely by the day.

“What we’re talking about is $14.2 million. That’s what the county, the schools and the state are going to lose,” Lee said. “It’s about $4 million in Rosebud County.”

The county and the local school district would probably both raise taxes to fill the void, Lee said. The real loss will be to the workers and businesses tied to Colstrip. Right now, a lot of political energy is being spent on fighting regulations and trying to keep all of Colstrip operational, which is the focus of Lee and Montana’s pro-coal politicians.

Source: Missoulian.com