Articles by Matthew Brown

Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places

Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth. Yet one year into …

Montana Superfund Town’s Clinic Accused of Submitting False Asbestos Claims

A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick, …

Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places

Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth. Yet one year into …

Young Plaintiffs’ Attorney Closes Montana Climate Change Trial with Call for Action

An attorney for 16 young plaintiffs urged a judge Tuesday to strike down as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibits state agencies from considering the environmental effects when it weighs permits allowing the release of greenhouse gases. Attorney Nate Bellinger …

Weekend Mass Shootings Leave 6 People Dead and Dozens Injured Across the US

Mass shootings and violence across the U.S. killed at least six people this weekend, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and wounded dozens of people. Multiple people with guns fired shots at a holiday crowd in Missouri and bullets flew among …

Youth Environmentalists Bring Montana Climate Case to Trial After 12 Years

Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal …

Judge in Montana Case Says Fire Retardant Drops Polluting Streams But Allows Use to Continue

A judge ruled that the U.S. government can keep using chemical retardant to fight wildfires, despite finding that the practice pollutes streams in western states in violation of federal law. Halting the use of the red slurry material could have …

Youth Lawsuit Challenging Montana’s Pro-Fossil Fuel Policies Heading to Trial

A Montana judge said a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case. The upcoming trial in Helena would be the first of …

Pollution Lawsuit Could Curb Use of Aerial Fire Retardant

A legal dispute in Montana could drastically curb the government’s use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires after environmentalists raised concerns about waterways that are being polluted with the potentially toxic red slurry that’s dropped from aircraft. A coalition …

Judge Cancels Montana Gas Plant Permit Over Climate Impacts

A judge canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas power plant that’s under construction along the Yellowstone River in Montana citing worries over climate change. State District Judge Michael Moses ruled that Montana officials failed to adequately consider …