Advocacy and Outreach
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Public ignored in pursuit of Sheep Creek Mine
On December 1st, 650+ Ravalli County residents packed a County Commission meeting with one agenda topic: a rare earth element mine in Sheep Creek, a Bitterroot River headwater. Specifically, the public and Commissioners wanted more information from U.S. Critical Materials (USCM) about its plans and the proposed fast-track permitting process. Less than 2 weeks later,…
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2025 Montana Legislature Recap
The 2025 Montana Legislature has wrapped. Our staff worked at the Capitol for every day of the 90-day session. Of the more than 5,000 bills that were on tap in early January, we were tracking a few hundred for their potential impacts on water, fish and access. The half dozen bills we prioritized for their…
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Water Wins at the 2025 Legislature
Under normal circumstances, a person can survive without air for about 4-6 minutes. That’s roughly twice as long as a wild trout can survive without water. And the water that trout need to survive and thrive must be cold and clean. That’s why MTU’s top priority at the Montana Legislature is good water policy, just…