Our Mission
The Bull Mountain Land Alliance stands up for land and people by advocating for affordable and efficient energy use, prosperous family farms and ranches, and a healthy local economy.
Current Campaigns
Crow Revenue Act
The Crow Revenue Act, legislation sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Troy Downing, involves a complicated swap
of our public federal lands and federal coal between the Hope Family Trust and the Crow Tribe. The bill would transfer
thousands of acres of revenue-generating federal coal (and associated public lands) into private ownership by the Hope
family. If the bill passed, this would mean that Musselshell County and our community will lose millions of dollars in coal royalties — and the trade does not guarantee the Crow Tribe any benefit until a yet-to-be negotiated revenue agreement is finalized.
Musselshell County community members have drafted an alternative legislative proposal that will still allow Signal Peak Energy to continue mining federal coal while ensuring these public lands remain open to our rural community and ensuring we receive the needed coal royalty funds for our roads, schools, and emergency responders.
"The Battle of the Bulls"
The Bull Mountains are worth protecting. The abundant wildlife, rugged hills, and expansive grasslands have sustained generations of Montanans who live, ranch, and recreate here.
Signal Peak Energy is the operator of the Bull Mountain Mine No.1, Montana’s only underground coal mine. According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, SPE produced around 7.25 million tons of coal in 2021, making it the seventh largest underground coal mine in the United States by production. The criminally-convicted company has bullied landowners, illegally dumped toxic slurry, and threatened the livelihoods of local residents. We cannot allow Signal Peak’s reckless abuse of our fragile watershed to go by without holding them accountable. Read more about Signal Peak’s record of corruption in this New York Times article.
Between now and around 2030, Signal Peak’s mining activity is getting closer to an increasing amount of landowners and residents of the Bull Mountains. SPE has also begun the early steps of seeking a permit expansion, which would mean mining after 2030. As part of our campaign, we are working to ensure that our neighbors are informed of the impacts of longwall mining, especially to their water, and how to best protect themselves and hold Signal Peak accountable in the event of impacts from mining activity. As part of this campaign:
- If you live in the Bull Mountains, check out our community resource page with information on a community based water quantity monitoring program, testimonials from impacted Bull Mountains neighbors, and FAQs on the impacts of mining activity.
- We have developed a standard operating procedure with a hydrologist on how to best collect data on the water quantity and flow of wells and springs. If you live in the Bull Mountains and are interested in taking part in this effort, please contact Brady at brady@northernplains.org.
Issues We Work On
Agriculture
We organize at the grassroots level for enforcement of antitrust laws against the meatpacking monopoly, have fought for our constitutional right to free speech by challenging the mandatory beef check-off, have successfully lobbied for fairer ag land taxation to support ranchers instead of speculators, have created new markets for local foods, and more. Our members have worked to develop practices and educate other Montanans on boosting yields, drought resistance, and storing carbon through building soil health.
Leadership
Chair
Steve Charter
Vice Chair
Pat Thiele
Treasurer
Phil Richmond
Secretary
Sophie Branch
Northern Plains Board Representative
Steve Charter
Ellen Pfister
Community Organizer
Brady McGinley
brady@northernplains.org