Montana

Nuclear power a possibility for Montana, NorthWestern tells SD regulators

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2023

Nuclear power a possibility for Montana, NorthWestern tells SD regulators

South Dakota regulators questioning NorthWestern Vitality’s nuclear vitality research plans in February have been fast to ask whether or not the utility’s Montana clients can be sharing the prices.

NorthWestern approached South Dakota’s utility fee Feb. 8, asking for approval to invoice clients for a nuclear energy plant research. The corporate indicated that it had already carried out a month’s work with international consultancy Roland Berger and deliberate to satisfy a Might software deadline for federal subsidies.

The trail for nuclear energy in Montana is difficult, the utility advised South Dakota regulators. In each states, NorthWestern identifies nuclear energy as an choice to exchange retiring coal-fired energy crops, ought to it’s pressured to take action by regulators, although In Montana the utility is getting ready to double the quantity of owned coal energy in its portfolio.

Dave Marston: The ‘vitality hole’ no person needs to tussle with

“NorthWestern has not recognized a date sure for nuclear in Montana, solely the chance. However to be prepared for the chance, NorthWestern has modeled retirement eventualities that embody including nuclear in 2030 and 2035,” the corporate advised the South Dakota Public Utility Fee.

In January, NorthWestern CEO Brian Hen hinted to a Helena viewers that the present web site of Colstrip Energy Plant may very well be appropriate for a nuclear reactor after Colstrip closes, probably by the tip of the last decade.

“Guess what an awesome location to construct a non-carbon emitting useful resource can be? Colstrip has implausible transmission, constant transmission that serves us at present. It has a extremely expert workforce, who actually may very well be educated in different assets down the highway, ” Hen advised the viewers.

Wyoming nuclear plant delayed, tentative begin date pushed to 2030

Each the development timeline offered by the utility, in addition to the value don’t mirror the present struggles of nuclear energy crops. NorthWestern’s Jeff Decker advised South Dakota regulators a 320 megawatt energy plant would seemingly price between $1.2 billion and $1.6 billion, far lower than present nuclear energy initiatives, that are presently costing far more, and taking for much longer to construct than deliberate.

“Even when it’s the in a single day price that doesn’t embody escalation, or financing prices, that is approach too low, per kilowatt,” mentioned David Schlissel, director of useful resource planning evaluation on the Institute for Vitality Economics and Monetary Evaluation. “It’s approach too low. No plant like this has been constructed or operated. It’s simply over-optimistic hype to get cash to do a research on a challenge. Prudence would say wait till others have constructed these reactors, see how a lot they price and the way nicely they work.”

Requested the way it got here up with its price estimate, NorthWestern provided a ready assertion that didn’t try a solution.

Bringing nuclear energy to Montana dearer than initially forecast

“In South Dakota, NorthWestern Vitality utilized for an accounting order related to a nuclear research invoice. NorthWestern Vitality has not made any determination whether or not to proceed to develop carbon-free nuclear technology,” mentioned Jo Dee Black, a NorthWestern spokesperson. “Relatively, this research is meant to assist NorthWestern Vitality perceive the evolving expertise and its prices.”

Regionally, the nuclear reactor challenge that’s furthest alongside, with inflation driving up price estimates, is the NuScale small modular reactor partnership with Utah Related Municipal Energy Methods. The estimated worth of the 462-megawatt reactor has elevated 75% from $5.3 billion to $9.3 billion. The worth of the facility to cowl the invoice has risen from $58 per megawatt hour to $89.

UAMPS members are municipal-based monopoly utilities, who make good companions for the cutting-edge initiatives as a result of utility clients are “captive” that means they can not store round for a greater deal and can be obligated to cowl reactor prices.

A bigger scale challenge by Georgia Energy has seen its estimated worth improve from $14 billion to $30 billion with a completion date delayed 6 years.

TerraPower introduced in December that it was delaying its plans for a reactor in Wyoming by two years as a result of Russia was its lone gasoline supply and the rogue nation’s struggle with Ukraine is complicating provide.

Group warns small nuclear reactors come up brief on guarantees

In Washington, small modular reactor developer X-energy Reactor Firm introduced that it was withdrawing plans to construct a reactor on the federal authorities’s Hanford nuclear web site close to the Tri-Cities. The Washington reactor was to be X-energy’s first, an indication challenge that can now be relocated to a Dow Chemical web site on the Gulf Coast, in response to the corporate.

X-energy’s reactor challenge was just like the one described by NorthWestern to the South Dakota PUC, an 80 MW reactor that may very well be scaled as much as 320 MW in what X-energy described as a 4-pack of reactors. X-energy was chosen by the Division of Vitality to obtain as much as $1.2 billion to develop a reactor and gasoline fabrication facility by 2030. The reactor is a 76 MW capability small modular unit.

Following a merger earlier this 12 months, X-energy’s new proprietor, Ares Acquisition Corp., issued a cautionary word with the Securities and Trade Fee warning traders concerning the dangers of investing in initiatives like theirs.

X-energy (Xe-100 Brief Know-how Explainer) – courtesy of X-energy

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Montana

Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life results for Jan. 17, 2025

Published

3 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 17, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 17 drawing

08-10-37-54-69, Mega Ball: 22, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 17 drawing

01-04-06-09-46, Lucky Ball: 04

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Jan. 17 drawing

05-15-25-26, Bonus: 04

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Montana

94-year-old Iowa-based trucking company closes terminal in Montana

Published

11 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

94-year-old Iowa-based trucking company closes terminal in Montana

Family-owned Decker Truck Line Inc. of Fort Dodge, Iowa, confirmed that it has permanently closed its terminal in Missoula, Montana, citing findings from a thorough review of its operations and freight network as the main reason for the closure.

“This decision was not made lightly, but it is necessary due to the changing freight network patterns and the associated costs of operating a full terminal that is not being utilized sufficiently,” CEO Dale Decker said in a statement Tuesday about the closure.

As many as 18 positions were eliminated at the Missoula terminal, according to NBC Montana.

Decker said a small group of drivers was also affected by the closure but added that the company will continue to utilize truck drivers in Montana to haul freight.

The trucking company said it plans to work with employees of the now-shuttered terminal to “explore relocation options” if they want to stay with Decker Truck Line.

“As our business continues to grow, our focus will shift more towards core regions. This strategy aims to enhance density in our well-established areas,” Decker said. “However, we will continue to require drivers residing in the Montana area, but we no longer consider it a strategic advantage for having a terminal in Missoula along with the associated overhead costs.”

The 94-year-old trucking company has around 790 company drivers and the same number of power units. It hauls general freight, refrigerated food and building materials, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.

Besides its home terminal in Fort Dodge, which has approximately 190 employees, Decker Truck Line operates terminals in Mediapolis, Iowa; Bessemer, Alabama; and Hammond, Indiana, as well as a maintenance facility in Des Moines, according to the company’s website.

“Although this location no longer offers sufficient value to warrant a terminal, expansion in other regions may prompt new investments in areas that do provide clear benefit to our network,” Decker said.

Do you have a news tip or story to share? Send Clarissa Hawes an email or message @cage_writer on X, formerly known as Twitter. Your name will not be used without your permission.

Why fight a 'clean and healthful' environment when it's good for all Montanans? • Daily Montanan

Published

19 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Why fight a 'clean and healthful' environment when it's good for all Montanans? • Daily Montanan

Montanans are witnessing an inexplicably vicious attack on the ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that the plain language of the constitution guarantees “a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”

What we haven’t heard is why a dirty and unhealthful environment is good for anybody — or the future of our state.

Truly, why would anyone think they or their kids or grandkids would be better off with a degraded and toxic environment? Yet, the court’s decision has sparked a misguided rebellion against the environmental laws that protect all Montanans — and an attack on the judiciary as if it’s some kind of enemy of the people.

But it seems pretty clear that enemies of the people don’t rule to protect the people. And ensuring that the laws passed by the Legislature comply with the Montana Constitution is the primary job of the Montana Supreme Court. It’s the foundational checks-and-balances upon which our system of government relies to ensure the executive and legislative branches stay within constitutional mandates to preserve the rights of the people.

Making war on the environment is a dead-end street — which we’re increasingly finding out as the tragedies driven by atmospheric pollution stack up along with the hundreds of billions of dollars to deal with the aftermath. So, where’s the wisdom in deciding to protect polluters at the cost to the rest of the populace?

How about this little truth: Pollution does not discriminate between Republicans and Democrats, nor Independents, Libertarians, or any other organizational clusters regardless of what they call themselves. Nor does polluted air or water recognize any boundaries — we all need clean air and water, which is not only a shared resource, but a shared responsibility to provide those vital necessities to nourish, not poison, our people.

The fact is, we have many good environmental and conservation laws on the books that serve all our people well. There’s simply no good reason why one political party or another should be against those laws, none at all.

Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes of the “environmental movement” was attaching itself at the hip with the Democratic Party. Yet, in Montana’s history, it has often been Democrat governors who have been responsible for some of the worst environmental decisions.

In the mid-1980s, Democrat Gov. Ted Schwinden cut the coal severance tax in half to supposedly make Montana competitive with Wyoming. He succeeded in losing hundreds of millions of dollars for the Coal Tax Trust Fund, but it didn’t save the coal industry because distance to market was the deciding factor.

Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer morphed into the “Coal Cowboy” within one year of taking office. His mission? Save the coal industry by peddling economically ridiculous proposals for coal-to-liquids when fracking was producing record amounts of cheap oil and gas.

Democrat Gov. Steve Bullock allowed radioactive waste from the Bakken fracking operations to be disposed of in Montana’s landfills — because it’s illegal to do so in North Dakota.

Of course Republicans have their own rogue’s list of bad decisions and policies — but there’s not room in one column to cover all those.

There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever why a clean environment should be partisan. The great attractions of Montana are our clean rivers, our blue skies, and an abundance of fish and wildlife that are the envy of the nation and world. The Constitution plainly states: “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana” — and that’s a legacy worth upholding.

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