Opinion
Despite record- high wind and solar generation, the U.S. renewable energy sector faces uncertainty. Tariffs and potential repeals of federal funding are creating roadblocks to the further buildout of energy projects. Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects have helped revitalize rural communities by creating jobs, generating new tax revenues, and providing lease payments to landowners. However, energy projects rely on globally sourced components due to the U.S. supply chain’s inability to meet rising demand. To avoid tariffs, solar developers are stockpiling panels, but the impact is only delayed. Battery storage is critical for grid reliability and faces tariffs of up ...
We measure things in increments. A cup of flour. A glass of wine. 98.6 degrees for a normal human body temperature. A standard sheet of paper is 8.5 by 11 inches. The wind is blowing at 11 miles per hour. You fill your tires to 33 pounds per inch. The barometric pressure at my house right now is 30. A pound ...
Federal grants often serve as the backbone of rural library services. Without their local library, many communities would lose access to basic resources. However, recent federal actions have placed critical funding for public libraries and museums in jeopardy. Following an executive order from President T...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of the ...
No taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant. — George Washington Part of my focus over the past legislative session was to provide meaningful property tax relief for Montanans who live and work in our communities, while ensuring the tax system treats all property o...
As a kid, I loved collecting shells on the beach - still do. There is something calming about walking on the sand, listening to the waves and looking for small treasures the tide washes up. I never found a pearl - not many of us do on the beach. You usually have to take a deep dive to find a pearl, but I ...
Our nation’s top health officials are sounding the alarm on federal nutrition policy. They’re right to be concerned. Rates of diet-related diseases -- including obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and iron-deficiency anemia — continue to rise. Anemia alone affects 10 million Americans, causing...
Editor, I’m just wondering why should the American taxpayers have to pay for the president’s 79th birthday in Washington D.C. on Saturday the 14th of June? During his campaign Trump told the American voters that his administration would look for abuse fraud and waste within the federal governm...
Thanks to voters across the state, we sent more Democrats to the Montana Legislature this session. Democrats came to the legislature to put Montanans first, and we did. Democrats showed up with clear priorities and a commitment to deliver: lower costs, strong public schools, access to health care, and rea...
The 2025 Montana legislative session got off to a rocky start on day one in the Senate when a group of nine Republicans defected to collude with Democrats in a surprise maneuver to change the Senate’s rules and committee assignments giving themselves and Democrats more power. For the entire legislative...
