A federal court ruled that the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to lease nearly 120,000 acres of federal land for oil and gas development in June 2022 violated the law.
The Montana Supreme Court has ruled NorthWestern Energy’s hostile approach to clean energy was a violation of the law. The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) followed NorthWestern’s lead and allowed the company to ignore a requirement for the utility to invest in Montana communities by purchasing renewable energy from small community-based projects. The penalty for this violation will provide much-needed revenue to Low-Income and Tribal Energy Assistance programs.
A summary judgment ruling in Idaho District Court will prevent the state of Idaho from authorizing wolf trapping and snaring in grizzly bear habitat during non-denning periods.
A Montana District Court ruling found that significant new roadbuilding projects in the Flathead National Forest will negatively impact Endangered Species Act-listed grizzly bears and bull trout. The court found that the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not lawfully examine the impacts to these species when the agencies greenlit the roadbuilding plan in 2018.