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BPA Prepares for New Leadership as DOE Weighs in on Market Decision
by Nick Fitzmaurice The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is a federal electricity and transmission marketing agency that covers much of the Pacific Northwest and plays a critical role in the affordability and reliability of the electricity system in the region. As of this writing, the agency was poised to announce its new Administrator and CEO, … The po
Keystone “XXL” Debuts in Northeastern Montana
by Shannon James This spring, many Montanans experienced a familiar and unwelcome sense of déjà vu. A new tar sands pipeline proposal has surfaced, presenting the same risks, the same promises, and the same troubling lack of transparency that defined the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline: the Bridger Pipeline, often dubbed “Keystone 2.0.” … The post Keysto
Victory for Gravel Pit Neighbors While DEQ Tries to Fast-Track Permitting
by Anne Hedges While the state is busy trying to minimize its oversight of opencut mines (gravel pits), a Missoula district court judge issued a strong rebuke of the state’s woefully inadequate opencut mine permitting process. The problems with opencut mine permitting and environmental review were largely created by the passage of a 2021 state … The post Vic
Septic Wastewater Gets a Pass
by Derf Johnson This spring, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA) for the construction and operation of subsurface wastewater treatment systems, a.k.a. septic systems. As with the programmatic EA for opencut mining, this is a solution that will cause more harm for the environment th
The PSC: To Elect or Appoint?
by Anne Hedges A former Montana Public Service Commissioner once told me that being term-limited was unfortunate because after nearly eight years on the PSC, he was finally starting to understand the issues. Unfortunately, he still knew far too little to notice when the utility was using bogus arguments in order to manipulate the PSC … The post The PSC: To E
Press Release: Massive mining proposal on public lands near Helena deserves more time, public meeting
Conservation groups request more time, information about massive mining project on public lands near Helena The project sits entirely within the Little Blackfoot River watershed, directly affecting Ophir Creek, Carpenter Creek, and Snowshoe Creek. For Immediate Release: June 17, 2026 Contact: Derf Johnson, MEIC