Environment

The state is looking for public comment on a potential tungsten mine in the Flint Creek Range of southwest Montana. Comments will be accepted until Friday, Aug. 14.

Northwest Montana has a below-average huckleberry crop this year. That means bears are now looking for alternative food sources and getting into trouble as a result.

Bozeman and Missoula declared 100% clean electricity goals in 2019 and have been chipping away at this effort ever since. Now both cities have committed to a new renewable energy plan that gets them closer to carbon neutrality by 2030.

Back in early spring Montana’s summer drought conditions were expected to be a lot worse than they currently are. June storms brought some relief, but the long-term outlook is less encouraging.

A federal judge ruled in favor of conservation groups this month in a decision against allowing increased road building in the Bitterroot National Forest. The lawsuit, filed in 2024, argued federal agencies didn’t take a hard enough look at the impacts of roads on threatened species.

Researchers continue to find PFAS, or 'forever chemicals,' in Montana’s waterways. The latest samples come from Flathead Lake. Advocates are calling for more attention and funding to research these substances.

Some Montana nonprofits that rely on federal grants say they’re not getting the funds they’ve already been awarded. The problem extends far beyond the Treasure State.

A major settlement between states, the Federal Trade Commission and John Deere marks a step forward for farmers' “right to repair.” The Columbia Falls Aluminum Company will pay $57 million to clean up its former aluminum smelter in the Flathead Valley. The site is contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and other toxins from the smelting process.

Plaintiffs in the Lighthiser v. Trump climate lawsuit are asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider their case after it was dismissed last month.

The Department of Interior is proposing changes to oil and gas leasing rules in the name of “unleashing energy.” Environmental groups say these changes threaten environmental protections and limit public input.