Montana
Though he’s opened land all over the U.S. to industry, the Interior Secretary is actually pushing to conserve even more of his home state.
The New York Times
According to one recent study, regional culture plays a major part in how healthily people eat. Supply may be less of a factor than demand.
The Washington Post
Using treated wastewater for snowmaking would have dual benefits for Big Sky, Montana.
Water Deeply
House Republicans from Washington are hoping to cut red tape for the development of surface storage facilities as the American West grapples with intensifying droughts.
Crosscut
The recent spill of 210,000 gallons of crude oil from the Keystone pipeline in South Dakota was far from an outlier.
High Country News
Missoula, Montana is home to seven craft brewers, and two more are in the works. The small town has seen development and jobs from these local businesses, but some fear market saturation.
CityLab
New research reveals the extent of the glacial retreat in the national park named for glaciers.
Climate Central
After a slow 2016, four states this year have already passed state gas tax increases. South Carolina may be next if they override the governor's veto. A new analysis should help legislators do just that.
Governing
Days earlier the presumed nominee was Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a member of the GOP congressional leadership, but Zinke's interview with Don Trump Jr., the president's son, appears to have caused the change.
The Washington Post - Energy and Environment
One of the Pacific Northwest's remaining coal export facility proposals was dealt what could be a final blow in state court last week. Some are describing such projects as zombies "shambling forward unaware that their heart has stopped beating…"
The Oregonian
A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documents the increasing frequency of nuisance floods and "clear-sky flooding."
USA Today
The unraveling of the coal industry, as exemplified by the demise of Arch Coal, was on display again as federal regulators put the final nail in the coffin of a proposed coal railroad.
Billings Gazette
Arch Coal's plans to develop a mine in Otter Creek Valley, east of Billings, is the latest casualty in the death throes of the coal industry.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
A tiny insect, native to Asia, has been killing trees in huge numbers around the United States since 2002. With the emerald ash borer expected to spread, cities are trying to prepare to combat the worst of the devastation.
The Denver Post
The sudden collapse of the coal industry has been as swift as it has been shocking.
Billings Gazette
An estimated 35,000 gallons of crude spilled from four of 22 toppled tank cars of a 106-car oil train near Culbertson in northeast Montana on July 16. Unlike other oil train derailments, no fiery explosions occurred.
Common Dreams
Recent work by the American Planning Association’s professional institute’s Community Planning Assistance Teams program examined the case study provided by growth management challenges in and around the city of Helena, Montana.
American Planning Association
Mike Ferguson reports on the process of updating the growth plan—working title "Beyond Billings"—for the city of Billings, Montana.
Billings Gazette
The Trust for Public Land is working with the city of Bozeman on a master planning process for a large park on the north side of town, with connections to the city's history as a railroad town and an agricultural center.
NBC Montana
Developer Nick Kujawa shares his experience with mix-use development, and provides commentary on a new Community Builders report, "RESTORE: Commercial and Mixed-Use Development Trends in the Rocky Mountain West."
Community Builders Blog
