Latest Montana Headlines
All the headlines from our Montana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jul 17 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
Cleanup Begins After Asphalt Binder Spill into Montana’s Yellowstone River
Jul 6 2023 // Globs of asphalt binder that spilled into Montana’s Yellowstone River during a bridge collapse and train derailment could be seen on islands and riverbanks downstream from Yellowstone National Park a week after the...
Montana Superfund Town’s Clinic Accused of Submitting False Asbestos Claims
Jun 30 2023 // A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people...
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jun 28 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
No Sign of Threat From Hazardous Train That Plunged Into Montana River
Jun 27 2023 // Preliminary testing of water and air quality along a stretch of the Yellowstone River on Montana where train cars carrying hazardous materials fell into the waterway following a bridge collapse did not indicate any threat...
Young Plaintiffs’ Attorney Closes Montana Climate Change Trial with Call for Action
Jun 21 2023 // An attorney for 16 young plaintiffs urged a judge Tuesday to strike down as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibits state agencies from considering the environmental effects when it weighs permits allowing the...
Lawmakers in Montana, Louisiana Pass Bills to Require Disclosure of Litigation Funding
Jun 13 2023 // Lawmakers in two states passed bills this year to require disclosure of litigation funding contracts. Business groups are pushing for similar rules in federal courts nationwide. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on May 2 signed...
Two More States Pass Bills to Require Disclosure of Litigation Funding
Jun 13 2023 // Lawmakers in two states passed bills this year to require disclosure of litigation funding contracts. Business groups are pushing for similar rules in federal courts nationwide. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on May 2 signed...
Youth Environmentalists Bring Montana Climate Case to Trial After 12 Years
Jun 12 2023 // Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important...
Judge in Montana Case Says Fire Retardant Drops Polluting Streams But Allows Use to Continue
May 30 2023 // A judge ruled that the U.S. government can keep using chemical retardant to fight wildfires, despite finding that the practice pollutes streams in western states in violation of federal law. Halting the use of the red...
23 State Attorney Generals Concerned About Insurer Climate Commitments
May 18 2023 // Nearly two dozen GOP Attorney General offices sent a letter to the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance seeking documents and information over “legal concerns brought about by commitments to collaborate with other insurers in...
Youth Lawsuit Challenging Montana’s Pro-Fossil Fuel Policies Heading to Trial
May 15 2023 // A Montana judge said a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case. The upcoming trial in Helena...
Montana Governor Signs Reform Package Aimed at Lowering Insurance Costs
May 12 2023 // Montana Governor Greg Gianforte approved three legal reform measures intended to provide consumer protections and disclosures and reduce frivolous lawsuits with the ultimate goal of lowering costs and increasing the...
Cleanup on Montana Train Derailment Spill Tough Going
Apr 11 2023 // Crews could face a difficult cleanup task after a 25-car train derailment spilled powdered clay and cases of beer beside a scenic western Montana river, leaving some cars off the tracks in a narrow, century-old tunnel with...
Judge Cancels Montana Gas Plant Permit Over Climate Impacts
Apr 10 2023 // A judge canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas power plant that’s under construction along the Yellowstone River in Montana citing worries over climate change. State District Judge Michael Moses ruled that...
About 25 Train Cars Derailed in Montana, No Injuries
Apr 4 2023 // About 25 train cars derailed Sunday in northwestern Montana, with no injuries or evacuations reported, authorities said. The cars, which were not believed to be carrying anything hazardous, derailed near the town of...
Hub Acquires Assets of Glacier Insurance in Montana
Mar 6 2023 // Hub International Ltd. acquired the assets of Glacier Insurance of Libby Inc. in Montana. Kevin Peck and Kim Peck, Owners, and the Glacier Insurance of Libby team will join Hub Mountain. Glacier Insurance is an independent...
Underground Coal Mine Collapse Injured 3 in Montana
Mar 3 2023 // Three workers were injured when part of an underground coal mine with a history of safety violations collapsed in southern Montana, authorities said Wednesday. The miners were about a mile inside Signal Peak Energy’s...
Bent Track a Factor in Deadly Montana Amtrak Crash
Feb 23 2023 // Investigators probing a fatal 2021 Amtrak derailment in Montana disclosed that the railroad track was bent along a curve near the accident site, and the problem got worse as freight trains traveled over the area before the...
W.R. Grace Offers $18.5M to Settle Montana Asbestos Claims
Jan 12 2023 // The owner of a former vermiculite mine in northwestern Montana that spread harmful asbestos in and around the town of Libby has offered $18.5 million to settle the last of the state’s claims for environmental...
