An expedited federal review of NorthWestern Energy’s (NWE) proposed 74-mile gas pipeline likely to cut through northeast Jefferson County and East Helena’s new Prickly Pear Park is expected to be released next week.
Running from Helena to Three Forks, the project aims to help NWE boost capacity to meet growing demand and reduce costs to customers, according to NWE media contact Jo Dee Black. NWE’s nearly 40 percent price increase for electricity, from around $91 in mid-2022 to a proposed $127 next month, has already prompted considerable pushback in Montana in recent weeks.
According to a preliminary Bureau of Land Management report, the pipeline will begin in East Helena, then pass through Jefferson County northeast of Montana City before entering Broadwater County west of US Highway 12, turning west just south of Townsend and ending up in Gallatin County east of Three Forks. Black said the exact route will be finalized once the project has gained all the necessary approvals.
