EPA and Montana Resources promise action after InvestigateWest report exposes public health concerns
Following revelations about the Environmental Protection Agency’s cozy relationship with a mining company in Butte, the EPA this week announced a series of steps meant to “increase transparency” and engagement with the local community.
Latest Environmental Reporting
Legislature wades into exempt-well debate
Program helps Montana landowners abate abandoned mines
How environmental policy proposals are faring at the Legislature’s halfway mark
No shouting. No name calling. Just award-winning local journalism for Montanans by Montanans.
Sign up for our free weekday newsletter.
MORE ENVIRONMENTAL COVERAGE
Newly revealed records show how the EPA sided with polluters in Butte
Thousands of pages of documents detail how the EPA coordinated with the very companies they’re supposed to be regulating to attack researchers and smear peer-reviewed science that has raised alarms over current mining practices in Butte.
Committee votes on four wolf bills as legislative deadline nears
Two wolf-related bills will advance to the full House for a vote, while two others are likely dead in process following votes cast by the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Feb. 28
BLM explores utility-scale solar in Montana
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking input on its plan to bring solar energy development to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. If all goes as planned, the federal government will have enough renewable energy in the pipeline by 2025 to power five million homes, per a target President Joe Biden unveiled in 2020.
Fish and Wildlife Commission gains two new members
The Senate has confirmed four nominees to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission, the seven-member body charged with setting hunting and angling regulations and reviewing Montana Fish, WIldlife and Parks land acquisitions.
Forever no more? Bill seeks to restrict state’s access to perpetual conservation easements
A bill that would roll back the state’s ability to purchase permanent conservation easements garnered opposition from an unlikely collection of opponents. Logging and agricultural groups were joined by conservation organizations and hunting and fishing groups in their request that the Senate FIsh and Game Committee table Senate Bill 357.
As ski area celebrates 75 years, Whitefish looks to future amid changing climate
According to a 2017 study, most ski areas in the United States will see the number of days they are able to operate reduced by 50% by 2050 and by 80% by 2090. At Whitefish Mountain, which currently is open an average of 120 days every winter, that would mean being open for 56 days…
Empower your community.
Power the press!
Fuel the future of independent, public-powered news in Montana. Become a member of Montana Free Press and help bring high-quality, independent journalism to more communities in our state.
MORE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING
E-bike bill advances in key House floor vote
A measure that would explicitly open much of Montana’s state-managed lands and trails to e-bikes is set to pass the House following a 54-46 vote.
Libby lawmaker eyes legislative change to Lake Koocanusa selenium standard
House Bill 437 seeks to nearly double the selenium standard for Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir shared by British Columbia and Montana, that’s subject to pollution associated with a Canadian coal mine.
Jocko Valley residents challenge DEQ over asphalt plant, new law
In the spring of 2022, Riverside Contracting applied for a 20-year, open-cut mining permit with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on more than 150 acres off White Coyote Road in the Jocko Valley. A new nonprofit, formed in response, is pressing for a more thorough environmental review.
Judge blocks coal mine expansion sought by Signal Peak
In a Feb. 10 ruling, a Missoula judge found that the federal government’s environmental review of Signal Peak Energy’s proposal to expand the Bull Mountains Mine harbored “sufficiently serious” errors. The order effectively halts Signal Peak from mining federal coal until an environmental impact statement has been completed.
The grizzly Rorschach test
If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removes NCDE and Yellowstone grizzlies from the United States’ list of endangered and threatened species, Montana will assume full management authority of those bears — something it hasn’t had since Lower 48 grizzlies became one of the first species to join the Endangered Species List in 1975. Stakeholders…
Legislature weighs bill to exempt some small subdivisions from MEPA review
Proponents of Senate Bill 240 say it will allow the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to devote its resources to larger projects with more pressing water quality concerns. Opponents say it could facilitate development of agricultural land in “pop-up subdivisions.”
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.