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Judge Denies Stay, SME Documents Released to Public

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:24 PM MST

Story Updated: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:24 PM MST

A district court judge has denied a stay to Southern Montana Electric after they had asked that SME documents not be released to the public.

Last week, about a dozen people protested outside of the city manager's office, arguing that the city needed to release documents related to the planned power plant east of Great Falls.

Today, Judge Wayne Phillips denied SME's request for a stay, and members of the Montana Environmental Information Office (MEIC) took their first look over the now public documents.

Aart Dolman and other MEIC members filed into city offices this afternoon, to begin scanning in piles of now public Southern Montana Electric documents.

Dolman and the other members had read the judge's ruling, and were ready to see the documents SME had fought to release, saying the files contained "trade secrets."

Because SME appealed the judge's original decision last week, the city decided not to release the documents to public until a ruling was made on SME's motion for a stay.

Now that the documents are available, the MEIC members are looking to piece together just how much money the city has spent on the power plant project.

Once the members scan all of the documents, they are hoping to post them to the Citizens for Clean Energy website in about two to three weeks.

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RB said on Monday, Mar 15 at 8:25 PM

Let's see. We take a high powered machinge up on the face of a treacherous snow buildup, trigger an avalanch. Some people die. Mmmm (This is nature's way of ________________ (fill in the blank).

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