2/17/2025
“Great Falls This Week” is reported and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to [email protected].
Money was held up by Trump administration review
Calumet confirmed last week that a $782 million loan disbursement from the federal government was back on track after a pause amid Trump administration funding freezes.
The company expected the money to arrive in late January as part of a $1.67 billion loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy. The money will go toward expanding the Montana Renewables biofuel plant in Great Falls, which makes products like sustainable aviation fuel from agricultural feedstocks.
In an SEC filing on Feb. 12, Calumet said that a “tactical review to ensure alignment with the new administration’s energy strategy” had wrapped up and that the loan agreement would resume. The funds are expected this week.
Speaking to Montana Free Press on Jan. 29, Montana Renewables CEO Bruce Fleming said the company expected a delay of days or weeks for the loan. The pause ended up being about two weeks. He said that while Calumet continues to make fossil fuel-based products, the Montana Renewables side of the operation enjoys more bipartisan support as a booster of the agriculture sector.
It gave him confidence that the loan guarantee would not be cut as the Trump administration looks to unwind some Biden-era renewable energy policies.
“It’s a new market for farmers. It’s going to translate into additional price support for those crops, and we’re proud to be part of that,” Fleming said. “I don’t think there’s a policy objection to any of that. There’s this little sorting out period where people need to realize, OK, we go in this bucket, because we look like agricultural.”
Calumet’s $1.67 billion loan comes as part of a federal program called Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment, which is aimed at renovating existing property for uses that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable aviation fuel has been identified by the federal government as a product that could help reduce airplane emissions. The program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, a massive 2022 bill that included a wide array of climate policies, tax credits and other funding actions.
In 2022, Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines joined party colleagues to vote against the Inflation Reduction Act. He criticized the bill’s incentives for electric vehicles and increased royalties paid by oil and gas producers. But on Feb. 11, Daines sent a press statement taking credit for lifting the pause on Montana Renewables’ loan funds that are the result of the IRA.
“I am glad to see that President Trump’s DOE is focused on bolstering made-in-America energy, and I’ll continue to fight for more ways to support Montana’s mining and energy industries,” Daines said in his statement.
Daines’ office said that the funds were approved by the Trump administration after the senator pressed the White House. Asked for more information, Daines’ Deputy Press Secretary Gabby Wiggins said that the senator brought up the loan to Energy Secretary Chris Wright and that “our office worked with the White House on it as well.”
In response to the resumption of Calumet’s loan, Pondera County commissioners released a statement reiterating its opposition to Montana Renewables’ plan to inject plant wastewater more than 3,000 feet underground into wells owned by Montalban Oil. In a statement released on Feb. 14, Commissioners Jim Morren, Tom Kuka and Zane Drishinski called on the company to prioritize the construction of an on-site wastewater treatment facility in Great Falls.
“The Pondera County Commission asks Montana Renewables, a company that says it is committed to environmental sustainability and civic responsibility, to be a good neighbor,” commissioners said in the statement. “Publicly abandon your plans to dump your waste on us. Prioritize investment in on-site wastewater treatment and recycling. You now have all the taxpayer-guaranteed money you need to do so.”
The Golden Triangle Resource Council, a conservation group, joined the commissioners in urging Calumet to prioritize wastewater treatment in its expansion project.
While an on-site wastewater treatment facility is in the project plan for Montana Renewables, the groups are concerned that it isn’t an immediate priority in the larger expansion project. The plant is currently pre-treating and sending 80,000 gallons of wastewater to a disposal site each day, mostly in Idaho. The biofuel expansion is expected to increase the amount of wastewater. An environmental assessment for the project says that Calumet expects a temporary increase in wastewater truckloads until the treatment facility is built — up to 48 daily truckloads.
The wastewater injection proposal is still under review by the Environmental Protection Agency. The company has repeatedly described the water as non-hazardous.
At one point, the Montana Renewables environmental assessment says that wastewater pretreatment produces no solid waste. In another section, it says pretreatment will produce up to 75 tons of sludge each day that will be trucked to a nearby landfill.
Photo Op
Hundreds of geese huddled in and around Giant Springs on Feb. 10, seeking space on the few patches of open Missouri River water during a bitterly cold period.
The springs, which are headwaters to the shortest river in the world, maintain a fairly stable temperature of 54 degrees no matter the weather. During the recent cold snap, Giant Springs was shrouded in fog, which made it a bit easier to walk around without spooking the geese.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
By the Numbers
Volunteer hours logged with organizations and events in downtown Great Falls in 2024, according to data from the Downtown Great Falls Association. Kellie Pierce, executive director of the association, said in a press release that the district runs on the generosity of its partners.
“There is no doubt about it: Volunteers make Downtown Great Falls tick. Downtown volunteers come from all walks of life and have a wide array of interests — volunteers may choose to donate their time with groups like the Downtown Chicks, The Mansfield Center of the Performing Arts or the Great Fall Police Department while others choose to help on special events like the Night Markets, Craft Beer Week or Downtown Summer Jam events. It says a lot about a community when individuals donate 34,300 hours of their time and energy to groups, organizations, events and activities that they believe in.”
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
The Great Falls Animal Shelter has temporarily relocated as part of renovations, though the move is earlier than expected. “Unexpected structural challenges” forced the shelter to move from its regular 25th Avenue Northeast building to 2701 16th St. N.E. in Black Eagle for the foreseeable future. The shelter isn’t able to take animals at this time. The renovations include a front door replacement, staff kitchenette area upgrades and patching areas of the dog kennel room. The major repair is the replacement of plumbing lines beneath the concrete floors of the kennel room. Work is expected to continue through April.
Great Falls Development Alliance has released a request for proposals for concepts to redevelop at least five sites in Cascade County. The organization hopes to identify the sites most primed for redevelopment and has $38 million in bridge loan funds as part of a brownfield program. Brownfield refers to property that has been contaminated from past use and is currently vacant or underutilized. The site selection is countywide, but GFDA pointed to the West Bank Urban Renewal Area and downtown Great Falls as top focus areas.
The National Weather Service office in Great Falls reported a temperature reading of negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit on Feb. 11 near Creedman Coulee, north of Havre. Air temperatures last week were easily into the double digits below zero, and windchills compounded the freeze. Cold is expected to stick around this week, though longer-range forecasts suggest a warming trend late this week.
The Great Falls location of Joann Fabrics isn’t on a list of nearly 500 store closures for the company, which is going through bankruptcy. Locations in Butte and Helena are on the chopping block, however. In a statement reported by CBS News, the company described its situation thusly: “Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN.”
Funds from the public-private Missouri-Madison River Fund Trust will support recreation projects in Great Falls, including work on the River’s Edge Trail near Weissman Bridge and an expansion of the Canoe Campground in Fort Benton. A recent press release from NorthWestern Energy announced multiple project grant recipients, including others in Holter and Hauser lakes and near Ennis. For 2025 projects, NorthWestern will contribute $22,426 toward projects alongside $410,896 from the trust.
This newsletter was updated Feb. 18, 2025. A previous version used the term “biodiesel” to describe products made by Montana Renewables. In fact, the plant produces renewable diesel, which is distinct from biodiesel.
