11 April 2019 — 0913 mdt

Colstrip and the Who Lost China Syndrome

Except for a few diehard denialists, Montana’s legislators, and political and economic leaders, know Colstrip’s days are numbered, and know the day of reckoning will arrive sooner than later. They know that Colstrip’s geriatric generators will not be saved by SB-331, or by exotic — and unproven and expensive — technologies for sequestering carbon.

They also know that when Colstrip emits it final belches of steam and smoke, when the coal mines feeding it close, and men and women without jobs produced by coal face grim and lean futures, there’ll be finger-pointing and cries of “You lost Colstrip” as everyone tries to blame everyone else for Colstrip’s demise.

Because Montana’s legislature is controlled by Republicans, SB-331, Sen. Tom Richmond’s sweetheart bill for Northwestern Energy, is also a device to foist the blame for Colstrip’s demise on the Democrats and Gov. Bullock. If the bill lands on Bullock’s desk, and he vetoes it as he should and must, Republicans will be able to say “Bullock and the Democrats lost Colstrip.”

A similar dynamic occurred after World War II concluded, when Mao Zedong’s forces prevailed in China, ousting Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists from the mainland to Taiwan, where he ruled until 1975. For decades after Mao’s victory, the United States was riven by charges that communist sympathizers in the State Department “lost” China to the communists. Those making the charges assumed the U.S. had the power to have stopped Mao, but refused to use it because of the traitors in the State Department. They never accepted that forces beyond our control determined the outcome in China.

Colstrip’s shutdown will trigger a nasty “Who lost Colstrip?” debate if the people trying to save the power plants do not come to their senses and face the fact that economic forces beyond their control are responsible for Colstrip’s problems. Indeed, SB-331 is as much intended to identify Democrats and Gov. Bullock as the villains as it is to extend the life of Colstrip’s old coal burners.

Thus far, not all observers and reporters are taking note of the Who lost Colstrip? debate that lies ahead. They might consider giving that more attention.