As Lawmakers Weigh Potential of Nuclear Power in Montana, Critics Say It Would Risk Community Safety and Renewables Show More Promise

In a House committee in late February, a legislator passed a tiny cylindrical object around the room, saying it is the key to Montana’s future energy security.

The cylinder was a model for one nuclear pellet, which Rep. Gary Parry, R-Colstrip, says is equivalent to 157 gallons of regular gasoline. According to Parry, nuclear energy is the way forward for Montana as the coal energy industry wanes.

“What we need to do is make sure that for Montanans we have a reliable, dependable base load,” Parry said in an interview, “that when it’s 50 below zero we know is going to provide the electricity we...