Conservation groups are again suing the Montana Department of Environmental Quality over the agency’s handling of environmental impacts related to a new methane gas plant in Laurel.
The Northern Plains Resource Council and Montana Environmental Information Center argue DEQ is still not adequately considering or disclosing the cumulative climate impacts of the Yellowstone County Generating Station (YCGS).
The case could be one of the first tests of the precedent set by Held v. State, a landmark Montana Supreme Court climate ruling that made international headlines last year.
The YCGS, a 175-megawatt gas plant situated near the Yellowstone River, began providing energy in late 2024. It is set to emit 25.4 million tons of greenhouse gases over its projected 32 year life span (about 770,000 tons per year).
“We deserve an honest disclosure of what these impacts are,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC). “I would like them to admit what 25 million tons of greenhouse gases does to the climate.”
A DEQ spokesperson declined to comment, saying the department
