After almost a year without hearing a word about the controversial Madison Food Park Slaughterhouse outside Great Falls, there’s news… A Special Use Permit in Cascade County was filed by Big Sky Cheese, LLC and Madison Food Park, LLC on…
Tag: montana waterkeeper
Federal Court Strikes Down Montana’s General Nutrient Variance Rule
A victory for healthy rivers and fishable, swimmable, drinkable water in Montana! The federal district court in Great Falls just issued an order in our long-standing lawsuit, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper v. EPA , holding that Montana’s 17-20 year general variance scheme and…
An Update on All Things Water & Big Sky, MT, Winter 2019
It’s late-winter 2019 and the Gallatin is covered in a snowy mantle, making it easy to forget last summer’s miles long, neon-green algal bloom and the reality that big water issues are looming in Big Sky, MT. Upgrading Wastewater Treatment…
Two Dirty Water Bills Moving In the 2019 Montana Legislature
We’re tracking bad legislation each Montana session that could undermine environmental protections for waterways and communities. Below are summaries of two nasty bills that would weaken key protections for fishable, swimmable, drinkable water in Montana. HB 625: Scrapping Science-Based Water…
The Trump EPA’s Dirty Water Rule Is Here, And It’s Bad News For Montana
Background The Trump EPA has released a proposed rule that will dramatically reduce the scope of waters protected by the Clean Water Act. This proposal is the worst rollback of Clean Water Act protections in history. The proposal redefines what…
Take Action (AGAIN): Tell BLM Southwest Montana Is No Place For Oil & Gas Development!
The BLM is trying to sell off your public lands near the Big Hole & Beaverhead Rivers, AGAIN! The Environmental Assessment (EA) for proposed March 2019 lease sales of public land in Southwest Montana for oil & gas development is now…
Take Action: Tell BLM Southwest Montana Is No Place For Oil & Gas Development
The Environmental Assessment (EA) for proposed December 2018 lease sales of public land in Southwest Montana for oil & gas development is now available for public comment. The public lands proposed for sale this December are exclusively intended for oil…
Bad Legislation Proposed to Limit States’ Rights to Protect Waterway Health
Bill S. 3303 would significantly limit the power of states to deny projects that would have severe environmental impacts on water quality. Section 401 of the Clean Water Act gives states the power to protect their waterways from federally-licensed projects…
Gallatin River Algal Bloom – August 2018
The Gallatin River is experiencing a large, miles-long neon-green algal bloom for the first time in recent memory. The Algal Bloom: Waterkeeper first became aware of the emerging algal bloom on the Gallatin late July 2018. A few members shared…
Public Land Sell-Out Threatens Big Hole & Beaverhead
This July the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) posted an obscure notice on its website that, for the first time in recent memory, it will lease more than 12,000 acres of public land in Beaverhead and Madison Counties for oil…