U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), has announced staff hires for the committee’s majority side for the 115th Congress. Staff members are: Richard M. Russell will serve as staff director. He previously served as Republican staff director for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Read More…
The 65th Montana Legislature just started. We are all aboard a ship without a captain in the middle of an ugly storm. Republicans left Gov. Steve Bullock with a balanced budget and $500 million to spare in 2013 and $300 million in 2015, so we expected to come into calmer waters. Instead, Gov. Bullock seems Read More…
Bullock Hires Planned Parenthood Exec as Health Policy Advisor Helena – Governor Steve Bullock announced Friday that he has hired Jessica Rhoades as his health policy advisor. Ms. Rhoades has had a long career in Democrat political circles, including time with Planned Parenthood. Rhoades was the western regional field director for Planned Parenthood of America Read More…
Helena – In late December, with only a few days remaining in his term a group of Democrats stepped in to try and keep Jonathan Motl in the Commissioner of Political Practices office for another two years by filing a lawsuit in Lewis and Clark County district court. Just days later, the fifth lawsuit involving Read More…
Two of Montana’s neighbors are on the Forbes top ten Best States for Business list – North Dakota and South Dakota. Montana is ranked 23rd. Wyoming is ranked 35th and Idaho, 18th. Released in November, the 11th annual Forbes list puts Utah as the top ranking state, followed by North Carolina, Nebraska and Texas. West Read More…
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Storage Tank Program (STP) reported the highest underground storage tank (UST) operational compliance rates in the country to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) during federal fiscal year 2016. STP regulates the installation and operation of regulated storage tank systems (such as gas stations) and oversees cleanup Read More…
Washington, D.C. – This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew its proposed rule that would have put new regulations on in-situ uranium recovery (ISR). In January 2015, the EPA issued a proposed rule requiring uranium recovery operators to conduct up to 30 years of groundwater monitoring following uranium production. On Jan. 4, 2017, EPA Read More…
Republican Sen. Bob Corker says he’s thrilled with the “unbelievable” access he’s getting to Donald Trump, noting that the president-elect will answer his phone calls even when he doesn’t know who’s calling. “The president [elect], as you know, still answers his cellphone number,” the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told a group of Read More…
In order to write law, legislators need to know law. That’s why the focus of the second day of the Montana Legislature on Tuesday was “Law School for Legislators.” President of the State Bar of Montana Bruce Spencer says the session introduces lawmakers to the different types of laws. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle
At the Capitol today, Democratic Leadership failed to convince Republicans to give them some so-called “silver bullets,” like they had last legislative session. In a Rules Committee meeting, Representative Jenny Eck asked Republicans for a tool that would allow them to move bills from a committee onto the House floor with a simple majority vote. Read More…
Auto manufacturers that sell cars directly to customers, like Tesla Motors, would be permitted to operate dealerships and sell vehicles directly to Wyoming residents in the state under a bill before the state Legislature. Tesla, which manufactures electric vehicles, has a nontraditional business model in which they sell cars directly to customers, bypassing third-party dealerships. Read More…
Rex Tillerson, former Exxon Mobil Corp. chief executive and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. secretary of state, will relinquish control of about $240 million in company shares if confirmed as he severs ties to comply with conflict-of-interest requirements. If confirmed, Tillerson will sell the more than 600,000 shares he owns in the largest U.S. oil explorer Read More…
More nonviolent felons who have completed their entire sentence – including probation and parole – would have their voting rights automatically restored under a bill introduced in the Wyoming Legislature. Under the current system, nonviolent felons who completed their sentence before Jan. 1, 2016, were convicted under federal law or who were sentenced out of Read More…
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday reviewed a spending plan for the House, Senate and Legislative Services Division then adjourned to discuss it another day after being told cuts may need to be made. Committee chairwoman Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, told members House Bill 1, also known as “the feed bill,” was 16 percent more Read More…
After consolidating power in Washington, D.C., and state capitals under President-elect Donald Trump, Republicans are moving to prevent large cities dominated by Democrats from enacting sweeping liberal agendas. Republican state legislatures are planning so-called preemption laws, which prevent cities and counties from passing new measures governing everything from taxes to environmental regulations and social Read More…
Cut Bank musician Rob Quist said Wednesday he will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for the anticipated special election to replace U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. Zinke is expected to join the Trump administration as the next Secretary of the Interior this spring, triggering a special election to fill Montana’s lone U.S. House seat. From Read More…
At least four Democrats and six Republicans are hoping to replace Montana’s Rep. Ryan Zinke when he leaves Congress to join the Trump administration. But so far, only Mark Wicks of Inverness is seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination. Wicks, 46, was educated in aviation mechanics in Bozeman, but instead of fixing airplanes he became the Read More…
A Bozeman environmental group is challenging the state’s regulation of pollution from storm water runoff because, they say, the state’s standards don’t adequately protect streams from urban runoff. Upper Missouri Waterkeeper filed a lawsuit in Gallatin County District Court in late December contending that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality erred in how it Read More…
Oil climbed to an 18-month high in New York as output cuts by Kuwait and Oman signaled OPEC and its partners are delivering on their agreement to stabilize the market. Futures rose as much as 2.8 percent after adding 45 percent last year, the biggest annual gain since 2009. Officials from Oman and Kuwait told Read More…
Just before the Montana Legislature gaveled in its 2017 session Monday, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock looked to ease the tension building over a looming budget battle by calling on the two parties to work together for the state’s best interests. Bullock used his second inaugural address in the packed state Capitol’s rotunda to appeal Read More…
The Montana Legislature officially started its 65th session Monday, and the state’s next group of elected officials started their terms. Temperatures hovered near zero in Helena during the morning, forcing inauguration festivities to move indoors, to the State Capitol rotunda. From KXLH
State lawmakers filled the halls of Montana’s Capitol Monday for the first day of the 2017 legislative session. As they entered the legislative chambers for the first time, party leaders promised civil, bi-partisan work, despite upcoming fights over the direction of the state budget and policy. Republican leadership, which holds a majority in both the Read More…
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening that North Korea won’t reach the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon that will be able to hit the United States. “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen!” the Read More…
Welcome to a new year and a new legislative session. With our eyes toward Montana’s future, we are hopeful that the next 90 days will bring badly needed changes. We must put our state back on a path toward economic stability that creates greater opportunities for all Montanans. This November, the people of Montana sent Read More…
“America is a nation of laws, not of men and women.” These words, spoken countless times throughout our nation’s history, should always be a guiding principle for policymakers in America. As citizens of this great nation, we must ask those who lead our country to respect the supremacy of law, as it’s only then Read More…
The upcoming Montana Legislature is likely to address many questions about medical marijuana, from taxes on its sale to cannabis storefronts, all while waiting to see what the Trump administration will do at the federal level. Montana voters in November passed I-182, a citizen initiative that repealed the three-patient limit placed on medical marijuana Read More…
Cattle prices have risen slightly since the beef market bottomed out in mid-October, but they’re expected to plateau for the rest of the marketing season. North Dakota State University livestock economist Tim Petry tells The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2hEJzX5 ) that there’s been “a good spark,” but the rally isn’t likely to continue. From News Center Read More…
North Dakota’s largest power plant is making operational changes to remain competitive in a changing market. The Coal Creek Station will be able to ramp its electrical output up and down more quickly depending on whether the wind is blowing and more renewable energy is available, The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2i4qZLx ) reported. Most of Read More…
A recent report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) highlights the critical role that high-tech innovation plays in Wyoming’s economy. ITIF, the leading U.S. think tank for science and technology policy, examined 20 indicators of the innovation-driven high-tech economy—both traditional economic data such as technology exports and newer metrics such as broadband Read More…
Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray says there are seven principles to follow when it comes to improving the state’s economy. Speaking to residents during Wednesday’s Green River Lunch and Learn, he said they will lead to economic development and diversification. From Wyoming Business Report
A Montana company has been granted a license to build a $1 billion, 400-megawatt power storage project in the central part of the state that would supplement electricity from wind turbines and other sources, according to documents released Thursday by federal regulators. The 50-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission allows Absaroka Energy, Read More…
Great Falls state representative Casey Schreiner Monday announced his intent to seek the Democratic party’s nomination for Montana’s at-large Congressional seat. Schreiner wants to replace Republican U.S. Congressman Ryan Zinke, who’s been nominated to become President-elect Donald Trump’s Interior Secretary. Schreiner is 34-years-old and heads the Montana State Workforce Innovation Board. The husband and father Read More…
With two of Montana’s biggest coal-fired power plants slated for closure, the future of Colstrip and energy policy will be another dominant issue at the 2017 Legislature, which opens next week. Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle and Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock say they hope to take steps to assist coal-plant workers whose Read More…
While a tight state budget overshadows almost everything at the 2017 Montana Legislature, there’s one area where lawmakers want to spend more money: Infrastructure. The debate, however, will be over what combination of infrastructure projects can gain the needed support to pass a multimillion-dollar bill. From KTVH
With estimated shortfalls in the state highway fund, the Montana Contractors Association and other special interest groups are pushing for a 38 percent increase in the gas tax. Recently MTN reported that Governor Steve Bullock’s administration has spent $75 Million more than the fund has brought in since fiscal 2012. And now the balance has Read More…
This past year was a rough one for the coal industry. In 2016 we saw President Barack Obama’s final push to kill coal before the end of his term. The result was a significant drop in production due to closure of power plants the state had supplied, the loss of hundreds of Montana coal jobs, Read More…
Helena – A group of Democrats has filed a lawsuit in a last minute attempt to keep controversial Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl in office for two more years. Former Democrat State Senator Christine Kaufman; outgoing Democrat Secretary of State Linda McCulloch; A trial lawyer political action committee headed by Motl’s lawyer John Heenan Read More…
Republican Secretary of State-Elect Corey Stapleton announced several top staff appointments Tuesday. Stapleton, takes office Jan. 2, he was elected in November, handily defeating Democrat Monica Lindeen, who was the state auditor, with 56 percent of the vote. “There’s no more important function than picking good people,” he told a group in the Capitol. Stapleton Read More…
A pair of New York City law firms have launched an investigation in to proposed acquisition of Montana based Stillwater Mining by Sibanye Gold Limited, a South African company. Harwood Feffer LLP and Levi & Korsinsky LLP both of New York City have announced that they are investigating shareholder concerns that the Stillwater Board of Read More…
Multiple political sources in Montana have confirmed that Zeno Baucus, son of former Montana Senator Max Baucus may be seeking the Democrat nomination for Montana’s lone Congressional seat. The seat will be vacant if current Congressman Ryan Zinke (R) is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration early next year. Zeno Baucus Read More…