The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country
Reveal
The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX
4.7 • 8.7K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2023
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Montana has a long history of making money by extracting and exporting its natural resources, namely coal. State politicians and Montana’s largest electricity utility company seem set on keeping it that way.
Reveal’s Jonathan Jones travels to the southeastern part of the state, to a town called Colstrip. It is home to one of the largest coal seams in the country – and one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the West. He finds the state’s single largest power company, NorthWestern Energy, recently expanded its share in the Colstrip power plant and is planning to build a new methane gas plant on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Meanwhile, in the state capital of Helena, lawmakers have passed a flurry of bills to ensure the state’s continued reliance on fossil fuels. NorthWestern supports many of these bills, including one of the most extreme laws to keep the state from addressing climate change. Jones follows the money behind the coal expansion in Montana and the local and statewide resistance efforts to push the state toward clean energy.
Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Did you know you have the power to inspire future generations with the same impactful reporting you trust and believe in right now? |
| 0:07.9 | I'm Lisa Schachter and I manage the Legacy Society program at the Center for Investigative Reporting. |
| 0:13.7 | When you include reveal in your will or other legacy plans, you are passing along your values of truth and integrity. |
| 0:21.1 | It won't cost you anything right now, |
| 0:23.2 | and you don't need to be wealthy to make a difference. |
| 0:26.0 | A gift of any size through your will, |
| 0:28.5 | or from your retirement plan, life insurance plan, |
| 0:31.7 | or other financial account, |
| 0:33.4 | can ensure that reveals meaningful, factual Reporting continues for decades to come. |
| 0:39.1 | For more information about making a legacy gift to reveal, or to notify us that you already have, |
| 0:44.7 | give me a call at 415-321-1-1706, or send an email to GIFs at RevealNews.org. |
| 0:53.3 | Again, that's 415-321--1706, or GIFS at RevealNews.org. |
| 1:00.1 | Please consider creating your legacy of truth today. |
| 1:04.4 | Thank you. |
| 1:09.4 | From the Center for Investigative Reporting in PRX, this is Reveal. |
| 1:16.5 | I'm Al Letson. |
| 1:18.2 | The local coal industry has always been a villain, and William walks-alongs life. |
| 1:24.1 | They're like a monster. |
| 1:26.3 | It's teetering, ready to fall over, and that I want to be part of the effort to cut its throat and let it bleed out and let it go away. |
| 1:38.0 | William grew up on the northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeast Montana. It's near one of the largest coal |
| 1:45.8 | seams in the country and one of the largest coal fire power plants in the West. He remembers when |
| 1:52.4 | they started building it, when he was in high school in the 70s. Oh, I remember distinctly |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.