Public lands are required to be managed by the federal government to benefit the United States public as a whole, ideally in a way that protects those lands and makes them available to be used, experienced, and enjoyed by everyone….
NEWS
Trump Administration Rolls Back Protections for Millions of Acres of Wetlands, Waterways
The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule today rolling back protections for millions of acres of wetlands, vernal pools, and other waterways. The rule opens the door for more pollution and toxic waste dumping in rivers, streams, and…
Our Waterways Aren’t Sewers – Let’s Stop Treating Them That Way
The Clean Water Act was passed in recognition of the fact that we should not be using our waterways as sewers, but incredibly, primarily due to outdated infrastructure, sewage spills still occur regularly around the country, leading to unsafe water…
Latest EPA Rule Attempts to Gut States’ Rights
The Environmental Protection Agency has just proposed a rule that would severely limit state authority to ensure that federally licensed pipelines, coal terminals, LNG facilities and other major energy infrastructure projects will not violate state water quality laws. Innocently titled “Updating…
Is the Proposed Great Falls Cheese Plant a Slaughterhouse in Disguise?
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…
EPA Backpedals, Reinterprets Clean Water Act to Add Loophole
A year ago, we warned that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was considering creating a massive loophole in the Clean Water Act. EPA is now moving forward with this and has released an interpretation of the Act that would…
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…