MONTANA

Feds OK coal mine expansion

The federal government has authorized a nearly 1,900-acre expansion of the mine that supplies Montana’s largest power plant with coal.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced on Aug. 6 that it has approved an expansion of the Rosebud coal mine near Colstrip that is expected to open access to 34 million tons of federal coal.

The expansion reflects the Interior Department’s “focus on energy independence, rural prosperity and permitting certainty,” according to a press release the Interior Department and OSMRE issued jointly. The agencies also wrote that the decision will provide Westmoreland Mining, which employs about 300 people, with enough coal to keep the mine open through 2039. In recent years, the Rosebud Mine has produced about 7,300 tons of coal per year.

A federal district court judge in Billings ordered OSMRE to conduct additional analysis in 2022 after environmental groups challenged the expansion, arguing that the federal government had failed to consider how the project would contribute to climate change and impact local water supplies.

The Bertoglio appointment marks the fourth time Gianforte has appointed a state legislator to a position within state government. The lure of state employment has the potential to influence lawmakers’ decisions, argued attorney Andres Haladay with Upper Seven Law on behalf of Williams.

“Unconstitutional gubernatorial appointments send the message that part-time citizen legislators — who in 2025 made a salary of $128.86 per day — might win a six-figure golden ticket to an appointed state civil office if they promote (the) governor’s political interests over the needs of their own constituents,” Haladay said in the lawsuit.

In an emailed statement, Montana Environmental Information Center, one of the plaintiffs that sued OSMRE in 2019 over its authorization of the expansion, described the federal government’s decision as contributing to an ongoing legacy of pollution.

Westmoreland’s largest customer is the nearly 40-year-old Colstrip coal-fired power plant that’s operated by Talen Energy and jointly owned by a handful of utilities operating in Washington, Oregon and Montana.

Governor sued over appointment

A Jefferson County man is suing Gov. Greg Gianforte for appointing a state legislator to lead the Montana Department of Commerce.

Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio was appointed June 16 while still representing Jefferson County in the Montana House. One of the former representative’s constituents, Jordan Williams, argues that the Montana Constitution’s “disqualification provision” bans legislators from appointments to state civil office.

In a lawsuit filed on Aug. 7, Jordan asks that Bertoglio, a three-term lawmaker from Clancy, be stopped from working at Commerce and that the Department of Administration be blocked from paying the former representative.

The governor’s general counsel, Anita Milanovich, countered in a letter to Williams’ attorney that state civil office positions are independent and not overseen by someone with superior power. The governor oversees the commerce director, Milanovich argues, which means Bertoglio doesn’t act independently.

WYOMING

Local buyers save 8 newspapers

BUFFALO — Robb and Jen Hicks and Rob Mortimore announced on Aug. 12 they have reached an agreement with News Media Corporation to buy the company’s Wyoming publications and resume publication immediately.

The announcement came six days after News Media Corporation suddenly announced the immediate closure of all of its publications, including eight publications in Niobrara, Goshen, Platte, Sublette and Uinta counties and one paper in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Mortimore was president of an NMC subsidiary called Wyoming Newspapers Inc., which operated all eight Wyoming publications and the one publication in Scottsbluff.

Robb and Jen Hicks own and operate the Buffalo Bulletin, and though their paper was unaffiliated with the closures, they joined Mortimore in the effort to save these papers.

The agreement includes rehiring all 30 of the newspapers’ staff members and immediately resuming publication of all titles.

In a statement, Mortimore added that the deal would not have been possible without the efforts of NMC CEO JJ Tompkins.

Less than a week earlier, papers like the Roundup, the Torrington Telegram, the Platte County Record Times and the Guernsey Gazette were looking at certain closures.

On Aug. 6, Tompkins, CEO of News Media Corporation, announced that the company’s eight publications in five Wyoming counties, as well as its newspapers in other states, would close immediately. Citing a “significant economic slowdown impacting our industry” and a recent failed attempt to sell the company, Tompkins said he had made the “difficult decision” to shutter the company’s newspapers immediately.

Mental health grant awarded

CHEYENNE — A $2.4 million grant was awarded to Wyoming law enforcement agencies on Aug. 5 for the purpose of supporting mental health in law enforcement services across the state.

The gift, awarded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, will provide funding for police and sheriff departments to offer 24/7 virtual crisis care calls. This means that if a law enforcement officer deems a situation to be a mental health emergency, they will virtually connect the person to a mental health professional.

The program has already been rolling out in parts of Wyoming, including in Green River and Sweetwater County. Green River Police Chief Shaun Sturlaugson detailed what things have looked like since his department began virtual crisis care in June.

He said it not only provided assistance for people in crisis, but kept officers safer as well.

Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said this kind of program is designed to thrive in rural areas.

It has been deployed in two other states, Nevada and South Dakota, where he said it has been a success, saying more than 80% of encounters result in the person staying in place with plans for local follow-up care.

He said he knows this isn’t the one blanket solution for mental health issues in Wyoming, but just another helpful tool in the toolbox that he hopes to continue to fund in other states.

Gordon said that issue is a separate conversation to be discussed by the Wyoming Legislature to decide what role the state should play in supporting mental health.

He added that his hope is this kind of program will meet people earlier on in the process, before potential incarceration, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.