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
Northern Rockies and Pacific Regional Center

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