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Recent column shows utter failure of wilderness collaborators
A recently published column by the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Project clearly illustrates the abject failure of the “collaborative” approach to crafting successful wilderness legislation. As the “Steering Committee” wrote: “For nearly twenty years, we’ve been regulars at each other’s kitchen tables, fence posts, and truck tailgates. For those twenty years we’ve been at the table…crafting a road map […]
Trump may be done, but his chaos continues
As the old saying goes, “you can run but you cannot hide.” And sure enough, Donald Trump figured if he was running for president he could hide from the many investigations, grand juries, special prosecutors, and defamed citizens currently bringing charges against him. But apparently, like so many things associated with the infamous ex-president, once […]
The Big Hole’s crisis – too little, too late, and way too bad
More than 30 outfitters, guides, lodge owners and anglers recently submitted an “emergency request” to Montana’s Gov. Greg Gianforte to immediately employ “the full engagement and all available resources under your authority as governor to both investigate this crash and help us develop solutions, before it’s too late.” The “crash” refers to the precipitous decline in […]
The (sun)wave of the future: Solar technology eclipses fossil fuels
Despite the ongoing propaganda and legal campaigns by oil, gas, and coal corporations and their puppet politicians, the “smart money” is now going to investments in solar energy. This is great news for the climate and those of us living on our beautiful blue planet. As noted in a recent report: “Investment in clean energy […]
The Montana Republicans are beginning to turn on themselves
You just can’t make this stuff up. Only weeks after Montana’s chaotic 90-day legislative session ended, and guess what? The Republicans, who held a two-thirds supermajority in both the Senate and House are lamenting the lack of due diligence they gave to the laws they passed and by which all Montanans must now live. First, […]
If chaos is the plan, then Trump is your man
Hard to imagine why anyone would want to watch Donald Trump spew his endless litany of lies, insults and vitriol after we’ve seen these re-runs for seven long years now. But sure enough, in an apparent attempt to capture some of the MAGA zombies, CNN stuck Trump on air for yet one more rerun […]
Montana Constitution survives GOP legislative assaults
They say even the blackest clouds can have a silver lining. In the case of the recent legislative session that appears to be true — at least for Montana’s internationally-lauded Constitution. Despite having a historic supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, not one of the 50 original bill draft requests for constitutional amendments passed. […]
All bad things must come to an end
It’s getting hard to read the news about Montana’s legislative session these days. The serious business of crafting public policy for the good of all Montanans has been sidelined by measures intended to be punitive, divisive and completely out of line with Montana’s long standing “live and let live” reputation. If there’s any good […]
Forgetting why we need Earth Day in the first place
It’s been 53 years since the first Earth Day in 1970, when a whopping 22 million Americans participated in events centered on taking better care of our beautiful blue planet whirling through the blackness of space. This year, more than 190 nations around the world are now honoring that tradition. Yet, in both the Montana statehouse […]
Spring in the Rockies means a renewal by Mother Nature. Maybe we can learn from her.
It’s springtime in the Rockies, where one day record high temperatures sweep the state and the next day we have winter storm warnings. In between the freeze-thaw cycle, the snowpack begins to melt, once again filling the rivers to full and beyond. It’s nature in all its incredible diversity and wonder — and in Montana, […]
50 years … and still waiting for our ‘inalienable right’ to a ‘clean and healthful environment’
Kudos to the Montana Environmental Information Center and Earthjustice for their recent court victory challenging the adequacy of the state’s pitiful permitting process for NorthWestern Energy’s Laurel natural gas power plant. Once again, a judge has found Montana’s mis-named Department of Environmental Quality guilty of cutting corners, ignoring and misinterpreting state law, and shuffling off another permit […]
Tune into the session and politics, but turn down the noise
Well, the long-awaited indictment of former president Donald Trump by a New York grand jury came down late last week and, boy, oh boy — it was like throwing a match into the gasoline of political windbags. The noise machine will undoubtedly go on for some time now, and we’ll be hearing plenty from highly […]