News

By Tom Lutey Environmentalists from Montana to British Columbia are bracing for changes in fossil fuel policy under the Trump presidency. Representatives from three Western states and Canada said Wednesday that they expect new momentum for coal and oil shipping ports, pipelines and mining. Bozeman resident Beth Kaeding, a past chairman of the Northern Plains […]

Many of us want to see a better future for Montana’s working families. I just recently learned about Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) and wanted to pass along what I know so far. PACE is a way to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation upgrades to existing buildings. These projects are funded by […]

Northern Plains Resource Council Despite popular myths, grazing cattle is a necessary part of maintaining the ecosystem, Nicolette Hahn Niman told about 175 people gathered Nov. 18-19 for Northern Plains Resource Council’s 45th Annual Meeting in Billings. “Overall, we must maintain grazing as a necessary force for positive environmental impacts,” she said in her keynote […]

By Matt Brown U.S. officials plan to block new mining claims outside Yellowstone National Park as the Obama administration races in its last days to keep industry out of pristine and environmentally sensitive areas. Mining claims on 30,000 acres north of the nation’s first national park would be prohibited for at least two years while […]

By Mike Ferguson Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer, author and rancher from Bolinas, Calif., jokes that she passionately argues for good grazing and animal husbandry practices because her cattle “needed a good lawyer.” Hahn Niman, who operates BN Ranch with her husband Bill, was keynote speaker Saturday for the 45th annual conference of the Northern […]

By Mike Ferguson Peter De Jesus knows firsthand the financial and employment impact that closing a coal-fired power plant can have on a community, and he shared his experiences with a crowd of about 175 people in Billings Saturday. De Jesus, senior organizer and communications director for the Western New York Area Labor Federation, told […]

WITH VIDEO By David Jay BILLINGS – The closure of coal fired power plants in western New York may provide plans for potential closures in Colstrip. That’s from a guest speaker at the Northern Plains Resource Council’s annual meeting at the Northern Hotel on Saturday. Peter De Jesus, senior organizer for the Western New York […]

By Ed Kemmick Compared with the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip, the Huntley Generating Station in Tonawanda, N.Y., was not all that large. At its height, when all six units of the Huntley plant were operating, the power station could generate up to 598 megawatts of electricity—compared to a capacity of 2,094 megawatts at Colstrip’s […]

WITH AUDIO Eric Tegethoff Public News Service November 16, 2016 BILLINGS, Mont. – The ancient plains of Montana once hosted herds of animals that grazed the land. Now, cattle and other domesticated animals do that work. According to former environmental lawyer and author Nicolette Hahn Niman, the planet actually is grazed far less than it […]

By Northern Plains Resource Council Today, the Obama Administration issued final standards to reduce flaring and venting associated with oil and gas development on federal and tribal lands. Northern Plains Resource Council has been pushing the Bureau of Land Management to address flaring and venting since 2012. The BLM’s rules will require oil and gas […]