Montana News

Montana Asbestos Clinic Seeks to Reverse Court Finding That It Submitted Hundreds of False Claims

An attorney for a health clinic in a Montana town polluted with deadly asbestos asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to reverse a lower court determination that it submitted hundreds of false claims on behalf of patients. That judgment …

Montana To Ask State Top Court To Overturn Landmark Climate Ruling

Montana’s top court is set to hear the state’s appeal of a landmark ruling holding that it was violating the rights of young people to a clean and healthful environment by barring regulators from considering the impacts on climate change …

Neglect Has Hastened Patient Deaths at Montana Psychiatric Hospital, Lawsuit Says

Montana’s state psychiatric hospital has been so poorly run for decades that patients are unsafe and not treated with dignity and respect, which combined with a pattern of understaffing, lack of training and neglect has hastened the deaths of two …

Climate Change Can Cause U.S. Households ‘Significant Financial Strain’

Households can experience significant financial strain through pressures to income and expenses due to climate hazards, a report from the U.S. Department of Treasury shows. The report, The Impact of Climate Change on American Household Finances, adds to the department’s …

Montana Brokerage Owner Admits to Defrauding Customers

Kileen Moria Hagadone, 57, owner of Rosebud County Insurance Inc., pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft. Hagadone faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the wire …

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 …

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 …

W.R. Grace Offers $18.5M to Settle Montana Asbestos Claims

The owner of a former vermiculite mine in northwestern Montana that spread harmful asbestos in and around the town of Libby has offered $18.5 million to settle the last of the state’s claims for environmental damages, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced …

Montana’s Resilient Fishing Economy Tested by Climate Change

Montana’s fishing economy has proven resilient amid the impacts of drought, but a new study suggests that 35% of its cold water habitats could become unsuitable for trout by 2080, costing the state an estimated $192 million in annual revenue. …