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Representative Perry proposes bill to secure Colstrips long-term water supply; owners and industry ask for more time to negotiate
Summary
Rep. Gary Perry presented House Bill 368 to require a long-term assurance of potable water for the town of Colstrip after plant closure; mayor and local groups supported the measure, owners and industry opposed or urged delay citing legal and property-right concerns; sponsor suggested funding options including a coal-severance set-aside.
Representative Gary Perry opened a hearing on a bill filed to address long-standing water-supply concerns in Colstrip and to require a mechanism assuring the town retains potable water after coal-plant and mine closures.
Perry said Colstrips municipal water depends on two long transmission lines from the Yellowstone River (about 30 miles long), built to serve the power plants and the town. He said one pipeline is roughly 28 inches and roughly 50 years old and the other is 34 inches and about 40 years old; replacement of a 30-mile line was described in testimony as costing approximately $80 million (2022 dollars). Perry said the town currently holds approximately 2.5 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water rights while plant owners hold roughly 62.5 cfs…
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