Yesterday, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) staff members moved down the valley to hold public scoping hearings in Forsyth, MT after meeting with the Northern Cheyenne in Lame Deer on Monday. They … Read more
Alexis Bonogofsky’s Archive
Northern Cheyenne raise concerns about the Tongue River Railroad in first public hearing
Yesterday, braving Montana’s icy roads and freezing temperatures, over 50 Northern Cheyenne tribal members from the small community of Lame Deer gathered to tell representatives of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) … Read more
The Tongue River Railroad Tries Again: The Little Engine That Couldn’t, Part 1
For my entire life, the Tongue River Railroad Company has been trying – and failing – to build a single purpose rail line to haul coal along the scenic Tongue … Read more
Arch Coal’s Otter Creek Mine Permit Application called “Deficient”
In what could be the largest understatement of the year coming from a Montana state agency, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) declared Arch Coal’s permit application to mine in the … Read more
2,000-year-old Bison Bone Bed Destroyed on Crow Reservation
Last summer, a 2,000-year-old national treasure was dug up with a backhoe. The Sarpy Creek Bison Kill site, as it is now known, is located on the Crow Reservation in … Read more
Will a Coal Train Kill the Last Dinosaur?
On Wednesday, those of us who are working to protect the wildlife in southeastern Montana were surprised to learn that the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Commission was planning to … Read more
Northern Cheyenne Tribe at a Crossroads: To Develop Coal or Not?
On Sunday, over 100 people assembled for a Way of Life Gathering (Hestana Vestotse) in Lame Deer, Montana. Yellow Bird, a Northern Cheyenne non-profit group and Sierra Club, organized the event with … Read more
Protecting Wildlife from Toxic Coal Ash in Montana and Beyond
For decades, the coal-ash sludge ponds at the Colstrip power plant in southeastern Montana have been leaking harmful chemicals into groundwater, a blatant and well-documented violation of state and federal … Read more
Mr. Peabody’s Coal Train Has Hauled It Away…
This week, Peabody Energy—the world’s biggest coal company—will be hauling away a massive taxpayer subsidy when they secure the rights to mine the North Porcupine Coal Tract in the Powder … Read more
Happy Birthday Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness!
First tribally designated wilderness in the country is 30 years old! You talk to any Montanan about the most beautiful, breathtaking view in the state, and most would … Read more
