Montana
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
Joe Eaton reports from Bainville, Montana, which is suffering the effects of the Bakken oil boom, although the majority of the Bakken wells, and its corresponding tax revenue, are in North Dakota.
National Geographic
Habin Kwak reports that Brad Pitt’s home-building operation, Make It Right, is expanding its operations outside of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward and a subsequent expansion in Kansas City.
The Architect's Newspaper
Montana state officials are considering a plan to allow wild bison to roam in a larger area outside of Yellowstone National Park. Ranchers oppose the project for fear of disease spreading to area livestock.
The Wall Street Journal
A new study by the Sonoran Institute finds unmet demand for walkable neighborhoods in the western American states of Idaho, Montana and Colorado. In these states, houses in walkable areas sell for markedly more than in sprawling areas.
DC.Streetsblog
Contrary to what would seem logical, estimates of oil and natural gas reserves may increase as they are depleted, as the new USGS assessment of recoverable oil reserves in the greater Bakken Basin shows. How does this square with peak oil theory?
MIT Technology Review
Phil Taylor of the New York Times writes about an ensuing battle between a Montana wind power transmission project, backed by eminent domain rights, and Montana landowners, fighting for cultural conservation of their land.
The New York Times
