GREAT FALLS (AP) -- Hundreds of documents were opened to the public Tuesday after a judge ruled that officials were wrong to withhold them from a group seeking to learn more about the relationship between the city and the developer of a proposed coal-fired power plant.

The case arose in March 2007 when a member of the Montana Environmental Information Center was denied access to drafts of documents, including contracts between the city and Southern Montana Electric. The cooperative and the city have proposed building a $790 million coal-fired power plant east of Great Falls.

City Attorney David Gliko said preliminary drafts of agreements between the city and SME were not public documents, prompting a lawsuit by the MEIC and the Montana Newspaper Association.

In June, District Judge E. Wayne Phillips of Lewistown disagreed with the city's position and ruled that the documents should be released. The parties were notified of the decision last week.

A group of four people, all members of Citizens for Clean Energy and/or the MEIC, examined some of the released documents Tuesday.

Jerry Taylor, who belongs to both groups, said that after an initial glance, the documents did not appear to contain anything startling. But he added that some were ''very, very interesting.''

Taylor said the group still wants to see e-mails that were sent between SME and city officials, as well as information Great Falls officials have gleaned from monthly SME meetings in Billings.

But City Manager Greg Doyon said the information must be reviewed by attorneys before the city can release it. SME has specified some information that can't be released because it contains trade secrets, Doyon said.

Gliko is expected to meet with the City Commission on Wednesday to discuss whether to appeal the case to the Montana Supreme Court.