OLYMPIA (AP) — The Senate has passed a measure that could ultimately make it easier for utilities in Washington state to close a massive coal-fired power plant in southeastern Montana that they partly own.
Senate Bill 5874, which passed 46-3 Wednesday, approves a study of proposed favorable conditions for three private utilities in the state, should they decide later to shut down all or parts of a four-unit plant in Colstrip, Mont. The plant provides a chunk of power to the Pacific Northwest.
The agencies that own the plant are near an agreement, long sought by Washington officials, to shut the plant down, said Democrat State Sen. Kevin Ranker of Orcas Island. The Senate passed a bill to study the possible shutdown to keep the possibility of shutdown legislation alive beyond Wednesday’s policy bill cutoff, he said.
