Resolution urging pipeline approval nears gov's desk

March 14, 2017 by Laura Lundquist

State Republicans are trying once again to send a message to Washington, D.C., to encourage the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. But opponents are ever more concerned about resulting contributions to climate change and environmental degradation.

On Monday, the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee heard yet another round of testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 10 sponsored by Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta. Many of the same proponents and opponents already testified for the Senate committee before the bill passed on a party-line 8-5 vote and passed the Senate 39-11.

Lawsuit challenges oil-and-gas board on fracking chemical disclosure

January 18, 2017 by Laura Lundquist

Some Montanans are suing to protect their water by requiring transparency from the oil and gas industry, specifically related to fracking.

On Tuesday, a handful of landowners from eastern Montana and two nonprofit organizations sued the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation after it refused to consider their July petition to require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in their fracking fluids. The petition also asked that if a company claimed it didn’t have to disclose the chemicals because they were trade secrets, the company should be required to prove that the mixture qualified as a trade secret.

BLM cancels remaining Badger-Two Medicine leases

January 10, 2017 by Laura Lundquist

President Barack Obama added to his conservation legacy Tuesday when he cancelled the two remaining oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two Medicine area.

Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced Tuesday that the Bureau of Land Management had cancelled the leases owned by J.G. Kluthe Trust of Nebraska and W.A. Moncrief Jr. of Texas and would reimburse them for payments associated with the leases. Neither lease had been developed.

O&G lease proposal adds threats to Teton, Milk rivers

May 23, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a record-high number of parcels to be opened up to oil and gas leases along the Hi-Line. The problem is that many sit along important waterways.

The Montana-Dakotas BLM office just released an environmental assessment of 87 federal parcels covering almost 18,000 acres from Cut Bank to Glasgow that could be leased to oil and gas development. None of the parcels previously had leases.

Feds seeking comment on oil exploration south of Dillon

March 02, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Even though U.S. oil prices have dropped to levels not seen in more than a decade, a Denver-based company is proposing a drilling project that could threaten prime wildlife habitat in southwest Montana.

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and the Dillon Bureau of Land Management Office are conducting an environmental assessment of oil drilling in the Tendoy Mountains south of Dillon. They are accepting public comment until midnight on March 25.

Oil and gas lease would help Montana kids learn to fish

November 30, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

States can’t usually sell oil and gas leases located in other states, but thanks to a gift, Montana will take advantage of North Dakota’s boom and use the lease money to help kids learn to fish.

Interior Department to cancel Badger Two Medicine leases

November 23, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

In a win for tribal cultural rights, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Monday that it intends to cancel an oil and gas lease on national forest land in the Badger-Two Medicine region. The cancellation could be finalized by the end of the year, but a District of Columbia federal court must sign off on it.

Texas oil field sale illustrates value of public land management

October 26, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

While some continue to push for state control of federal land, Chinese control of U.S. oil and gas illustrates why it might be better for Americans to keep public lands in public hands.

On Friday, a Chinese company, Yantai Xinchao Industry Co. Ltd., said it would pay $1.3 billion for oil fields in Howard and Borden counties in Texas, according to the Associated Press.

Montanans testify on historical importance of Badger Two-Medicine

September 03, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

“The places that matter are not always made of brick and mortar.”

Amy Sakariassen’s comment was the essence of the testimony heard by a federal advisory council that is deciding whether drilling for oil and gas would degrade historic sites in the Badger-Two Medicine area of the Rocky Mountain Front.

Judge orders deadline for drilling in Badger-Two Medicine

July 27, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The federal government must quickly establish a timeline for its decision on whether a Louisiana oil and gas company can drill on a lease near the Blackfeet Reservation, according to a federal judge.

On Monday, District of Columbia federal district Judge Richard Leon ordered the Department of the Interior to finalize its timeline for deciding whether Solenex, LLC, can drill an exploratory well within a 6,247-acre lease in the Badger-Two Medicine region.