PPL Sues EPA to Keep Power Plant Data Secret

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — PPL Montana is suing the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent the EPA from releasing data about its Colstrip power plant.

The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Billings says that the data the EPA plans to release includes capital improvement projects that the company considers confidential. The power company claims the release of that information could allow PPL's competitors to gain market advantage.

The Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club had requested the information through the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Anne Hedges of the MEIC says she first made the request two years ago to find out what upgrades the 1970s-era coal-fired plant has undergone and whether it is in compliance with the law.

PPL spokesman David Hoffman declined to comment.