We don’t want a coal train to destroy the Tongue River valley and we don’t want a coal mine to destroy the Otter Creek valley.That is the message that the … Read more
Montana
What Voice Do We Have?: Environmental justice and the Tongue River Railroad
On Wednesday evening, the auditorium of the St. Labre School in Ashland, Montana was packed. Northern Cheyenne tribal members, land owners, ranchers and hunters came to the third public scoping … Read more
Cows and trains don’t mix: Ranchers stand up against the Tongue River Railroad in second public hearing
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
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
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
Fall Elk Viewing on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge
September marks the time of year when lush river bottoms along the Missouri River in north-central Montana are transformed into their annual splendor. In the late afternoon hours on the … 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
