Articles by Matthew Brown

Scientists Back EPA on Montana Asbestos Risks

Federal officials anticipate finishing by late 2014 a risk study to guide the cleanup of an asbestos-contaminated Montana mining town, after a panel of scientists backed draft results that say even a minuscule amount of the substance can lead to …

Montana Lawmakers Want Pipeline Study Finished

Two U.S. senators from Montana are urging federal safety regulators to wrap up a yearlong study into whether oil spills into rivers, lakes and other water bodies across the U.S. have resulted from inadequately buried pipelines. The Department of Transportation …

Exxon Hit With New Lawsuit Over Yellowstone Spill

More than a dozen eastern Montana landowners have filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. claiming the company ignored warnings before a pipeline break that spilled an estimated 1,500 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River. The lawsuit from …

Environmentalists To Sue Colstrip Over Pollution in Mont.

Environmentalists filed notice Wednesday that they plan to sue the six companies that co-own eastern Montana’s Colstrip power plant over alleged pollution violations. The Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center say the plant’s owners failed to upgrade pollution control …

Dead Cattle, Devastation In Wake Of Western Fires

Cecil and Delores Kolka thought they escaped the worst of the Ash Creek Fire when the 390-square-mile blaze spared their home and several pastures as it ripped through the couple’s Montana cattle ranch. But when the family went to round …

While Debate Over Safety Valve Goes On, Gas Explosions Continue: AP

The bulldozer was clearing land outside a day care center in Hapeville, Ga., when it broke open a buried 1-inch pipeline. The escaping gas ignited into a fireball that killed nine people, including seven children settling down for their afternoon …

Insurer Sues Montana Over Asbestos Settlement

A Nebraska insurance company has filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana to recover $16 million that was used primarily to cover a sweeping financial settlement of asbestos-related claims from residents of the Superfund town of Libby. The lawsuit …

Pipelines at Risk of Failure in Montana, Wyoming

Federal safety regulators disclosed problems Tuesday with oil and other hazardous liquid pipelines at seven major river crossings and hundreds of smaller crossings in Montana and northern Wyoming, problems that could put the lines at increased risk of failure. Problems …

Gulf Spill Workers Complaining of Flulike Symptoms

For days now, Dr. Damon Dietrich has seen patients come through his emergency room at West Jefferson Medical Center with similar symptoms: respiratory problems, headaches and nausea. In the past week, 11 workers who have been out on the water …

Lawsuits Seek to Curb Deep Wells in Gulf of Mexico

Environmentalists seeking to curb oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico have filed federal lawsuits to shut down a major BP platform and close a government loophole for new oil and gas exploration. The lawsuits, filed in Alabama and Texas, …