Governor Inslee of Washington signed legislation to provide funding for Puget Sound Energy to decommission and clean up the Colstrip coal-fired power plant units 1 and 2 in Montana when they retire. The bill establishes a fund to manage the cleanup costs in a way that protects customers and minimizes risks. While the legislation does not mandate retirement, it gives Puget Sound Energy an important tool to facilitate timely retirement of the old and polluting coal units. Environmental groups praised the bill for helping transition Washington to cleaner energy and reducing carbon pollution.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2016
CONTACT:
Eric Alves, Eric.Alves@sierreaclub.org, 617-697-9381
Marc Krasnowsky, Marc@nwenergy.org, 206-621-0094
Governor Inslee signs bill today on Colstrip cleanup fund
Bill addresses funding for clean-up after coal plant Units 1 and 2 retire
Olympia, WA -- The Washington State legislature passed and Governor Inslee will sign
today, legislation that provides secure funding for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to
decommission and clean-up Colstrip Units 1 and 2 in Montana when they are retired.
The legislation does not compel retirement but provides an important financial
management tool that will enable PSE to facilitate timely and prudent retirement of
Colstrip Units 1 and 2 and manage rates to better protect customers and minimize
overall risks.
Puget Sound Energy owns 50% of Colstrip Units 1 and 2 built in 1975 and 1976
respectively. The Colstrip coal plant is one of the largest emitters of carbon pollution in
the Western United States. The costs of operating Colstrip continue to increase as
market conditions for the coal plant continue to decline. In addition, the costs of cleaning
up the substantial pollution from the ash ponds and pollution of the ground-water in the
community of Colstrip are also growing.
“We applaud the Washington state legislature and our Governor for pushing through
legislation that provides an important financial management tool to Puget Sound Energy
that assists with timely retirement and responsible clean-up of Colstrip Units 1 and 2.
The legislation helps mitigate costs and risk to Puget Sound Energy and its customers

2. when these units are retired,” said Bill Arthur, Deputy Director for Sierra Club’s
Beyond Coal Campaign. “Retiring these old and dirty coal units will eliminate
approximately 5 million tons of carbon pollution a year - the equivalent of removing 1
million cars from our highways.”
"As Washington transitions to a clean energy economy, some utilities face coal plant
decommissioning and clean-up costs," noted NW Energy Coalition executive director
Nancy Hirsh. "This raises generational equity issues for utility customers that the
financial tool in this legislation addresses. We commend Puget Sound Energy for being
a strong partner in developing this approach and moving it forward."
“High-polluting coal facilities jeopardize our future and compromise public health today,”
said Vlad Gutman, state director for Climate Solutions. “Creating an orderly
mechanism for cleanup enables a timely retirement of these facilities, and we’re happy
the legislature and the Governor took this important step.”
"This bill is the first step toward ending Washington's reliance on out-of-state coal and
advancing the transition to a clean energy economy that Washington's citizens clearly
desire,” said Rachel Shimshak, executive director for Renewable Northwest. “We
commend Governor Inslee and Puget Sound Energy for their vision and leadership, and
look forward to continued collaboration."
"We were pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy on creating this tool for clean-up,
an important step in the transition away from coal-fired electricity," said Becky Kelley,
President of Washington Environmental Council.
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About the Sierra Club:
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental
organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters. In addition to helping
people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club
works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect
wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public
education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About the NW Energy Coalition:
The NW Energy Coalition is a 35-year-old alliance of 100 environmental, labor, civic,
faith and human service organizations, progressive utilities and businesses in Idaho,
Montana, Oregon Washington and British Columbia committed to a clean and
affordable energy future.