Spokane-utility Avista Corporation is eying 300 megawatts of wind-power from Montana over the next seven years as it determines where its future energy will come from. The part owner of the Colstrip Power Plant has a 222-megawatt share evenly divided between Units 3 and 4 and faces a 2025 deadline to stop delivering coal power to its Washingto...
Senate Bill 379 Passes Through Senate
Senate Bill 379 won final Senate approval Thursday. It shields NorthWestern Energy from financial losses should the Colstrip Power Plant’s coal-fired generator shut down. The bill has been transmitted to the House where it will get another committee hearing next week before heading to the floor. Four of the power plant’s utility owners f...
Superintendent Of Public Instruction Reacts To Request Denial
The $12 billion state budget cleared the Senate Thursday on a 33 to 17 vote. The next stop for House Bill 2 is back in the House to address Senate amendments. It’s expected the budget will then move to a free conference committee where House and Senate lawmakers will hammer out the final version. The budget passed the House in March. Montana’s...
FWP Plans to Move Deadmans Basin Road
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking for comments on a plan to move a dirt road at the western edge of its Deadmans Basin Fishing Access Site west of Ryegate because the old roadway is eroding away. A draft environmental assessment of the project was completed this week. Construction could be completed in May if the final plan is appro...
MoFi Loan Program Receives New Grant
MoFi’s new Thrive loan program is providing working capital loans with reasonable repayment terms and attractive rates to help businesses that may have depleted their reserves due to the pandemic. With the help of a recent $2.1 million grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, the community development lender has made it even more acce...
House Bill Known Unofficially As “The Beast” Passes Through State House Of Representatives
After Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act, sending billions of dollars to Montana, lawmakers quickly drafted House Bill 632 to start the process of spending that money. The bill passed the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support last week before landing in the Senate Finance and Claims Committee Wednesday. James Bradley...
Montana Organic Medical Supply Opens Series Of Lawsuits
Montana Organic Medical Supply is suing the state Department of Health and Human Services, two of its employees, the city of Billings and a police detective. Violations were found in 2018 and the inspection report gave the medical marijuana business until September 18th to make corrections but, without any warning, the state shut it down early...
Helena Brothers Involved In January 6 Riot Released From Custody
East Helena Montana brothers Joshua and Jerod Hughes who prosecutors say were among the first people to break into the U.S. Capitol January 6th while the Electoral College vote was being certified were ordered released from custody Wednesday pending trial. Both face nine federal charges including civil disorder destruction of government proper...
Montana Supreme Court May Challenge New Voting Law
Six members of the Montana Supreme Court will consider a legal challenge to a new Montana law. It would eliminate the state’s judicial nomination commission and allow the governor to appoint judges to fill vacancies between elections and it asks for an injunction to block the law from taking effect and to declare it unconstitutional. Attorney...
Indian Health Service Receives Additional Funds For COVID-19 Response
By the time Indian Health Service’s acting director Elizabeth Fowler visited Montana Wednesday, more than a million vaccine doses had been administered by the IHS since vaccines began arriving in mid-December. The American Rescue Plan Act will provide $6.1 billion to the Indian Health Service in a continued effort to expand services and ...