News

Today, the federal Bureau of Land Management finalized the delay of much of its Methane and Waste Prevention rule until January 2019. In response, Northern Plains Resource Council issued the following statement: “Secretary Zinke’s decision to suspend these protections that safeguard the clean air, health, and economic vitality of oilfield communities is a deep betrayal […]

By Holly Michels Many who support the Department of Environmental Quality’s first-time effort to regulate radioactive oilfield waste disposal sites still find a draft of the rules severely lacking. More than a dozen people testified in Helena on Thursday, all proponents of DEQ’s proposal for how to handle radioactive oilfield waste dumps. The rules will […]

By Nate Heygi On Thursday, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality held a public hearing on draft rules to oversee the disposal of radioactive oil waste in the state. Radioactive oil waste, also known as TENORM, is the sludge that’s pulled out of the ground when companies are fracking or drilling for oil. It is […]

When the Bakken boomed, North Dakota got the bulk of oil development and Montana got most of the radioactive waste. North Dakota prohibited disposal of radioactive filter socks and other radioactive drilling waste. Montana had no rules, so the waste ended up here. Finally, Montana is moving forward with public health and safety rules specific […]

Good Earth Market co-op is one of the sponsors of the Montana Local Food Challenge organized by Northern Plains. The Local Food Challenge ends Aug. 31 so you can still participate! Local matters because it supports our local agricultural economy and it supports families in our own communities. Since its origin, the Good Earth Market, 3024 […]

HAS AUDIO Eric Tegethoff HELENA, Mont. – After more than four years of urging, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality has released draft rules to oversee the disposal of radioactive oil waste in the state. Since 2013, the Oaks Disposal facility near Glendive has been the destination for more than 250,000 tons of radioactive waste, mostly from North […]

By Matt Hudson Extraction companies have always known exactly what to do with the fossil fuels pulled out of the Bakken formation. But early in the boom, no one really knew what to do with the tons of radioactive waste that drillers produced. “Couple of municipal landfills started getting materials coming in from the landfill,” […]

Take action! Sign today, and show Seth you stand with eastern Montana.     Link to DEQ draft radioactive oil waste rules and hearings schedule: http://deq.mt.gov/DEQAdmin/dir/legal/hearing By Northern Plains Resource Council GLENDIVE, Mont. – The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last week published draft rules to oversee the disposal of radioactive oil waste in […]

By Bernie Mason This is the third week of the Montana Local Food Challenge, sponsored by the Northern Plains Resource Council, and you are encouraged to find new ways to support our Montana producers and the businesses that feature local foods. A “local food” is defined as any Montana product, if the majority of the […]

This blog ran as the Chair’s Column in the Summer 2017 Plains Truth, the voice of the Northern Plains Resource council. The drought in eastern Montana this summer reminds us, yet again, that ranchers and farmers depend on clean, reliable water sources for their livelihoods. This summer, I’ve visited with producers in Dawson, Garfield, Fergus, […]