State Senator Duane Ankney (R-Colstrip) reacted to the news that Colstrip 1 & 2 would be facing an earlier than planned shutdown at the end of the year.

 

As the AP reported Tuesday:

Talen Montana said in a statement the older units of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, whose combined 614-megawatt capacity is co-owned by Talen and Puget Sound Energy, will be permanently retired on Dec. 31. The newer Colstrip units, which generate the bulk of the 2,100-megawatt plant's output and are owned by six companies, will continue operating although those whose livelihoods depend on the plant worry it also may be shuttered early.

Ankney says the news wasn't a surprise, but says this isn't the end of the road for Colstrip. He says the focus now should be on fighting to keep Colstrip 3 & 4, and to look at innovative ways to put 1&2 to work.

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