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The document requests that the International Joint Commission (IJC) evaluate the continued applicability of its 1988 recommendations against the proposed Lodgepole coal mine in the Flathead River Basin. The signatories argue that the new proposal by Cline Mining Corporation poses similar or greater risks to transboundary water quality and fish populations—specifically bull trout—than the Sage Creek mine analyzed in 1988, while noting a persistent lack of baseline environmental data.

The document details the conservation values of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and the surrounding Crown of the Continent ecosystem, specifically the transboundary Flathead River basin. It assesses the risks associated with two primary industrial threats: coalbed methane (CBM) extraction, exemplified by BP Canada's Mist Mountain Project, and open-pit coal mining, specifically the Lodgepole Coal Mine proposed by Cline Mining Corp. The paper argues that these activities would cause severe, irreversible damage to water quality, critical fish spawning habitats for bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, and migratory corridors for rare carnivores like grizzly bears and wolverines. It emphasizes a critical lack of baseline environmental data and highlights the cumulative stress from other external threats such as highway expansion and logging.

The Rock Creek Mine project in northwest Montana is contested by conservation groups due to its location in sensitive grizzly bear habitat and its potential to smother bull trout spawning areas with sediment. Earthjustice has repeatedly challenged the Fish & Wildlife Service's biological opinions, arguing that mitigation measures are insufficient and that new data reveals unconsidered threats to these species, including reduced water flows and failed poaching prevention strategies.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed the potential effects of Washington's Initiative 937 (I-937), which would require large electric utilities to source 15 percent of electricity from eligible renewable resources by 2020 and pursue cost-effective energy conservation. Under an expected case scenario, the report projects that by 2025, I-937 would result in $1.13 billion in cumulative savings on consumer electricity bills, the creation of 2,000 new jobs, and a reduction of 4.6 million metric tons of annual CO2 emissions. The analysis indicates that renewable energy and efficiency investments would be cost-competitive with conventional fossil fuel resources, providing long-term price stability and economic development, including $2.9 billion in new capital investment. Sensitivity analyses suggest that even under pessimistic conditions—such as higher wind costs or the expiration of federal tax credits—the initiative would generally still yield long-term savings and environmental benefits.

In April 2004, air quality modelers from nine EPA regional offices protested a policy change allowing states to select their own baseline years for measuring pollution in 'Class I' areas. This policy emerged from a compromise with North Dakota, which had been out of compliance with the Clean Air Act regarding Theodore Roosevelt National Park, hindering plans for new coal-fired power plants. EPA scientists argued the change 'artificially inflate[s]' baselines to mask policy changes and feared it would set a national precedent, as other states like Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming sought to follow suit.

The report examines the significant water demands of fossil fuel power plants in the Interior West, highlighting the environmental risks of cooling systems and the potential for water savings through dry cooling, energy efficiency, and renewables.

The document details legal actions taken by Earthjustice and conservation groups to protect grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from habitat destruction and the removal of Endangered Species Act protections. It highlights how climate change has caused the loss of key food sources, such as whitebark pine seeds and cutthroat trout, forcing bears toward meat-based diets that increase human-wildlife conflict and contribute to a declining population trend observed between 2007 and 2013.

Amory Lovins advocates for 'green design' that integrates biologically informed human comfort, high-performance technology, and community-rooted architecture. He argues that combining Japanese sensibilities regarding dynamic environments with Western innovations—such as 'superwindows' and advanced daylighting—can reduce building energy use by 80-90% while improving productivity and well-being. The text highlights several case studies, including the ING bank headquarters in Amsterdam and DeMontfort University in England, to demonstrate that sustainable design can enhance financial performance and human health without increasing capital costs.

The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is projected to create 3,880 direct jobs, including 3,067 in construction and 703 permanent positions. The initiative involves two major projects and is led by the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) as the prime contractor, with industry sponsors including Atlas Agro North America Corp. and Xcel Energy Services Inc.

The document highlights that just 1% of Montana's superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 120 GW of energy capacity, significantly exceeding the state's 2023 electricity consumption of 15,505 GWh. It argues that superhot rock geothermal offers a land-efficient, firm power alternative to fossil fuels and other renewables, requiring only 12 sq mi per 1 GW of production.

The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub is projected to create 11,550 direct jobs, including 8,050 in construction and 350 permanent positions, through eight major projects in Washington, Oregon, and Montana. The initiative involves a wide array of partners from government, academia, and the private sector, including entities such as Amazon, Puget Sound Energy, and the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Coal-fired power plants are identified as the largest source of toxic water pollution in the United States, discharging billions of pounds of heavy metals into waterways annually. A review of 386 plants reveals that nearly 70% of those discharging coal ash and scrubber wastewater have no effluent limits on key toxins like arsenic and mercury, often operating under expired permits. The report highlights severe ecological damage, including massive fish kills in North Carolina and groundwater contamination in Missouri and Illinois, and notes that these plants are frequently located in marginalized communities. While the EPA proposed updated standards, the report argues that political interference from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) weakened these options. It advocates for 'Option 5,' a zero-discharge standard utilizing dry ash handling and vapor compression evaporation, asserting that such controls are cost-effective and would significantly reduce pollution.

The document presents a series of quotes from representatives of Earthjustice, the Montana Sierra Club, and local community groups opposing proposed legislative changes to coal leasing. The critics argue that the provisions would reduce royalty rates for the government, fast-track permits by removing public comment opportunities, and provide a 'giveaway' to the coal industry while exacerbating water pollution, air pollution, and public health risks, particularly in Montana.

The report details how coal ash, the second-largest industrial waste stream in the U.S., contains toxic heavy metals that leach into groundwater and surface water or become airborne as fugitive dust. It highlights the inadequacy of current state-level regulations and the failure of unlined disposal ponds, citing numerous 'damage cases' where communities have suffered from contaminated drinking water and ecological collapse. The authors advocate for a transition away from wet storage and unencapsulated reuse, calling for federal standards to protect susceptible populations, particularly children and low-income communities.

The document provides a detailed schedule of federal coal lease readjustment dates from 2021 to 2025, identifying the specific lease numbers, the states where the leases are located, and the companies holding those leases. The list covers operations across several Western U.S. states, including Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, Washington, and Oklahoma.

Earthjustice argues that the FWS proposal to delist gray wolves in the Northern Rockies is illegal and biologically unsound. The organization contends that the proposed DPS boundaries are arbitrary, demographic recovery goals are set too low to ensure long-term viability, and state regulatory frameworks in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana are inadequate to protect wolves from aggressive killing. Furthermore, Earthjustice asserts that the FWS failed to account for habitat fragmentation from roading, the loss of historic range, and the lack of guaranteed funding for management activities.

The document consists of a short biography of Dr. David J. Mattson, detailing his academic background and extensive research on large carnivores, particularly grizzly bears and mountain lions. It includes a comprehensive list of his publications and research projects focused on behavioral ecology, habitat suitability, and the intersection of science and conservation policy. Additionally, the document contains three figures analyzing Yellowstone grizzly bear population data, indicating a lack of population increase and a rise in mortalities and human-wildlife conflicts following the loss of whitebark pine.

A group of over 30 law professors argues that the public trust doctrine (PTD) is an inherent attribute of state sovereignty that obligates Utah to protect the Great Salt Lake. The brief contends that Utah has violated this duty by failing to restrain upper basin water diversions, which have reduced the lake's footprint by half and threatened species extinction. The authors assert that the PTD applies not only to navigable waters but also to non-navigable tributaries and groundwater that sustain the lake, citing legal precedents from other Western states like California, Nevada, and Hawaii.

The document outlines the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency in Montana, specifically highlighting how targeted policies could save $84 million and avoid 1.4 million tons of CO2 by 2030.

The document argues that President Donald Trump's 2018 executive order to increase logging by 31 percent to prevent forest fires is misleading and dangerous. It asserts that large-scale industrial timber harvesting is associated with worse fires in some regions and that the primary drivers of worsening fires are climate change, excessive drought, high winds, and heat. The text claims the policy serves to expand the logging industry rather than address the environmental causes of wildfires.