In March 2004 Great Northern Properties (GNP) announced it intended to build a 500 megawatt lignite-burning coal-fired power plant near Circle, Montana. Circle is located in McCone County, which is one of the poorest counties in the country. (GNP and local government officials effectively used this fact to convince the Board of Environmental Review to adopt a weak rule regulating mercury emissions from lignite-burning coal plants like this one.)

Lignite is a low energy content, highly polluting, form of coal. Originally GNP said it would submit an air pollution permit application for a circulating fluidized-bed facility (the same technology as the Highwood plant) by Summer 2004. The permit has yet to be submitted.

Recently the company told the Billings Gazette that the times are changing: “We’re on a completely different economic and environmental arena than we were two or three years ago.… we would be remiss in not looking at other opportunities.” GNP’s lobbyist testified in the 2007 legislative session that it is considering using integrated gasification and combined cycle technology—a coal technology that is much better at capturing pollutants before they escape into the atmosphere. But even the best coal technology is still highly polluting. Hopefully, GNP will keep considering other “opportunities” and settle on renewable energy resources.

(Updated May 2007)