The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes welcomed U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to celebrate the transfer of the Nation Bison Range in Moise to tribal governance Saturday. She addressed the crowd gathered at CSKT College and called the transfer a triumph of collaboration and indigenous conservation.
Governor Gianforte Rejects Federal 30 By 30 Plan
Governor Greg Gianforte declined to commit the state to participate in a U.S. Department of Interior effort Wednesday. In a letter to a senior Department of Interior official, he called President Joe Biden’s “30 by 30” initiative long on philosophy and short on detail.” It aims to conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030...
Inspector General Releases Report On Zinke Allegations
A report released by the Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector General revealed that U.S. congressional candidate Ryan Zinke broke federal ethics rules by participating in real estate development in Whitefish and lying to an agency ethics official about his involvement during his tenure as U.S. Interior Secretary. Investigators fo...
Senator Daines Highlights Concerns With Interior Department’s Role In 30×30 Plan
The Biden Administrations 30×30 plan to conserve 30% of U.S. land use has been welcomed by the environmental community while landowners, producers and other groups believe it would be federal overreach. During a recent Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Senator Steve Daines highlighted a recent push to the Department of Interi...
Montana Representatives Push For New Water Power Plant
Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester along with Representative Matt Rosendale introduced a bill Monday to authorize The Department of Interior to build a power plant at Gibson Reservoir 70 miles west of Great Falls. The planned generation capacity is 3 megawatts, enough to power about 2,300 homes. The reservoir is part of the Sun River Project...
Canada Lynx Protections Retained By Interior Department
Under a court settlement approved Monday by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, the U.S. Interior Department has agreed to keep federal protections in place for the Canada lynx. It came after wildlife advocates sued to retain protections for the rare and elusive wild cats which have been listed as a threatened species since 2000. A new recovery...
U.S. Department of Interior To Review Coal’s Environmental Impact
A review of climate damage caused by coal mining on public lands was launched Thursday by the U.S. Interior Department as the Biden administration expands its scrutiny of government fossil fuel sales that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The review also will consider if companies are paying fair value for coal extracted from public rese...