Trump Tariffs Threaten U.S. Oil Refiners
President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and a 10% tariff on energy products from Canada have the potential to send ripples through the U.S. oil and gas market. Last October alone Montana imported $4.2 billion worth of crude oil from Canada. Montana’s four oil refineries rely heavily on Canadian crude oil with an estimated 70 to 75% coming from Alberta.
Montana court restores abortion access for Medicaid patients
A Montana District Court has restored access to abortion care for Medicaid patients after ruling that two bills and an amendment to the Montana Administrative Rules are unconstitutional. The restrictions would have required only doctors to provide abortion care and severely limited Medicaid patients’ abortion care coverage.
Sheehy proposes new wildland fire response time centralization bill
A bipartisan U.S. Senate bill introduced by Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy and New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim would centralize wildland firefighting operations and set a national wildfire standard response time. Essentially Senate bill 140 aims at assessing or observing any fire within a half-hour. It also requests one budget for all federal wildfire response activities. The freshman Montana Senator has introduced or cosponsored 10 pieces of wildfire legislation since taking office.
Montana Indigenous schools face federal funding uncertainty amidst Department of Education layoffs
Schools on indigenous reservations in Montana are facing uncertainty as the U.S. Department of Education plans to cut half of its employees. Millions of dollars in impact aide funding helps schools compensate for money lost by residents within the district not living on taxable property. Currently the have only received half of their Impact Aid funding which was sent in December 2024. The remaining funds for this fiscal year are on hold due to the Impact Aid being on a continuing resolution until the federal budget is confirmed.
Poll: 3 in 4 Montanans concerned about being able to afford housing over the next five years
According to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton Poll almost 3 in 4 Montanans are concerned about being able to afford housing in the state over the next five years with adults under 35 more likely than those over 50 to feel that way. The recent poll of over 900 residents statewide found more than half of Montanans were “very dissatisfied” with the state’s handling of cost of living and affordability.
Governor Gianforte MSU Announce $22.5 Million Raised for Gallatin College
In 2023 the Montana Legislature passed and the governor signed House Bill 5 which provided $23.5 million in funding for Gallatin College MSU and the university was required to raise the remaining funds from the private sector for the $46 million facility. Wednesday Governor Greg Gianforte and Montana State University announced MSU has raised $22.5 million in private donations and reached its fundraising goal to construct an on-campus facility for Gallatin College MSU.
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In January the Environmental Protection Agency and regional officials announced that Community Hub in Butte would receive a $20 million grant from the agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. This week the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation announced a $15 million grant to support the wellness and resilience hub that will be built near the Butte Civic Center on remediated ground.
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris will wade into the legal tangle surrounding Yellowstone National Park’s bison management April 7th. He’ll considering more than a dozen issues during a hearing in Helena’s Paul Hatfield Federal Courthouse.
Helena Christian School has launched a public capital campaign project with hopes of raising $8.3 million to build a new permanent facility in East Helena. The school has received $6.6 million including a a$1 million grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation and needs another $500,000 in cash and pledges in the next 60 days to break ground this spring.
A bill to extend the wolf hunting season by three months to align with the closing of the black bear hunting season on June 15TH will be discussed in the Senate Fish and Game Committee next Tuesday. Montana has a population of wolves that has fluctuated between 1,100 and 1,200 wolves over the last 10 to 15 years.
