By Bonnie Hendrickson

On July 10, Bonnie Hendrickson’s brother-in-law, Harold Hoem from Montana, testified at the Environmental Protection Agency, for the good of all of us and not only for the state of Montana. Following is his testimony:

“In Support of the EPA’s Mission:

“My name is Harold Hoem, and I’m president of Montana Elders For a Livable Tomorrow. I was born and raised in the copper mining town of Butte, Montana. I worked in the underground mines right out of high school. Later I became a firefighter and smokejumper for the Forest Service. I had a career as a special agent with Naval Intelligence and, later, as a commercial fisherman in Alaska.

“Today is my 88th birthday. I’d like to be remembered for defending my grandchildren’s right to a clean and healthful environment. I will make four points.

“First, with wildfires increasing in intensity, frequency and size in the West, pollution from smoke mixes with the pollution from coal-fired power plants, traveling with the wind hundreds of miles.

“Second, through careful monitoring, the Environmental Protection Agency found it necessary to strengthen its emissions standards. The stronger regulations in 2024 were a step in the right direction and should not be abandoned. They fulfilled the EPA obligation as required by their mission statement, ‘to protect human health and the environment.’

“Third, there is no sensible reason to relax or remove these regulations. Power plants that complied can be credited with reducing pollution, but not Colstrip in Montana. Colstrip should not be rewarded for being the dirtiest power plant in the nation. They should be held to a higher standard, like the 170 other coal-fired power plants that have already installed particulate control. Without Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), the toxins being released by NorthWestern Energy’s Colstrip units 3 and 4 will continue to harm human health – something they’ve done for decades. The power from Colstrip is not clean, affordable or reliable.

“Finally, my grandfather died in his early forties of a respiratory illness he got from working in the mines, as did many other young men. As a rural EMT I have seen acute asthma attacks, which were life and death situations. Furthermore, asthma is on the increase in America, with children at greatest risk. Pediatric Pulmonologist, Dr. Paul Smith, told me that children are at greatest risk from pollution because they are closer to the ground, their lungs are still developing, they are more active and they breathe more air per pound.

“What’s most important is that we protect future generations.

“Thank you.”