Montana
Freight Rail Company Beats Montana Covid-19 Vaccine Complaints
A federal Covid-19 vaccine mandate preempted a Montana state law prohibiting employers from discriminating against unvaccinated workers, a federal judge ruled.
The state law has been the subject of a number of lawsuits, including a challenge from doctors and immunocompromised individuals that the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected in October. Montana was one of roughly a dozen states that implemented vaccine status-related anti-discrimination laws during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Judge Brian Morris of the US District Court for the District of Montana stopped short of issuing a blanket injunction for future vaccine claims against BNSF Railway Company …
Montana
Montana hits Yellowstone with lawsuit over bison plan
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and two agencies have raised a lawsuit to challenge the Yellowstone National Park’s way of managing its bison herd, arguing that it violates federal laws.
Newsweek has contacted the Yellowstone National Park’s press office for comment via email outside normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The clash between Montana and the National Park Service, among other officials and entities that maintain the sprawling park, stems from state authorities’ belief that the park’s plan to manage its bison herd doesn’t do enough to reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission.
Though a bacterial disease that mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs, brucellosis can be transferred to humans if a human has direct contact with an infected animal, or if they eat or drink contaminated animal products.
What To Know
On December 31, Gianforte’s office, Montana’s Department of Livestock and its Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks filed a lawsuit over Yellowstone National Park’s bison management plan.
In a news release about the lawsuit, the state government said its concerns had been ongoing since 2022, when the national park first announced its intent to draft the plan.
In 2023, Gianforte criticized the park’s bison management, citing Yellowstone National Park’s “failure to meet its own mandates,” a lack of cooperation of the park with the state of Montana, and deficient and misstated analysis.
According to the lawsuit, the size of Yellowstone National Park’s bison herd has been a “source of constant strife” in the state, as the boom in the bison population has increased the spread of brucellosis.
Yellowstone National Park and Montana adopted bison management plans in 2000 to tackle the issue, the lawsuit added, with a goal of keeping the bison herd to 3,000 while combating the spread of the disease.
“Over the last 20 years, YNP has utterly failed to manage to the specified population target or implement critical elements of its plan,” the lawsuit said.
It added that the new plan developed by the park in 2024 “fails to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and is a violation of the National Park Service Organic Act (NPSOA) and Yellowstone National Park Protection Act (YNPPA).”
The new plan was also “developed without meaningful consultation and collaboration with one of its “cooperating agencies”…the State of Montana,” the lawsuit said.
What Is Yellowstone National Park’s Bison Management Plan
When Yellowstone National Park announced its new bison management plan last year, it said the Record of Decision, a culmination of the Environmental Impact Statement and National Environmental Policy Act process, allowed the National Park Service to manage the bison based on new scientific information that suggested the 2000 plan needed updating.
The new information related to how brucellosis could be regulated, the park announced in July. It added that the decision “continues the original purpose of the [Interagency Bison Management Plan from 2000] to maintain a wild, free ranging bison population and reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle.”
The 2024 plan said the bison herd population would be managed in a range between 3,500 and 6,000, up from the goal of 3,000 in the 2000 plan.
The new plan also called for expanded bison hunting and greater bison freedom, allowing them to roam beyond the tolerance zones along the park’s northern and western edges, Montana Free Press reported.
According to the outlet, Tom McDonald, the vice chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, supported this element of the new plan.
McDonald told Montana Free Press that expanding where Yellowstone bison could go would help make tribal and state hunting safer, which is a method used to regulate the bison population.
What People Are Saying
Mike Honeycutt, the director of Montana’s Department of Livestock, said in a December 31 news release: “The Department of Livestock is committed to preventing, controlling and eradicating animal disease. Given the way NPS has ignored feedback from Montana, we have major concerns about potential threats to animal health from the possible spread of brucellosis.”
Christy Clark, the director of Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said in the release: “Bison represent a complex and contentious issue with both livestock producers and wildlife advocates. We had hoped for and asked for a better and more transparent process in developing this EIS. Those requests were ignored.”
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said in the release: “The National Park Service has repeatedly and consistently failed to engage with the State in a meaningful and transparent manner as required by law throughout the planning process. NPS has not given us a fair shake and has ignored concerns raised by the State. We will always defend our state from federal overreach.”
Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said in July of the park’s 2024 bison management plan: “We have come a very long way since the last bison management plan was signed in 2000. This new plan solidifies much of the progress made over the past two decades and provides a foundation for future decision making. We appreciate the significant engagement on this plan by our affiliated Tribes, partners, and the general public.”
What Happens Next
The lawsuit requests that the Montana district court rule on whether Yellowstone National Park has violated federal law with its 2024 plan.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
Montana
Significant snowstorm will affect Montana on Friday and Saturday
Significant snowstorm to impact Montana Friday and Saturday
WINTER WEATHER ALERTS are in effect for most of Montana for the next couple of days.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect most of north-central Montana from 5am/11am/5pm Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for central and southern Phillips County, Garfield County, and Petroleum County from 11am Friday until 5pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the southern Rocky Mountain Front, the high plains, the Bozeman and Helena areas, and the mountains in central Montana from 8pm Thursday/11am Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday.
There is going to be scattered snow around tonight, generally in central Montana, including around Great Falls, Helena, and Lewistown, and light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible. We are also going to have overcast skies tonight with a few areas of fog around. It is also going to be cold tonight in north-central Montana as lows are going to be in the -0s and 0s. Around Helena, lows tonight are going to be in the mid to upper teens and low to mid 20s.
A significant snowstorm is going to impact our area on Friday and Saturday. As we go through Friday, snow will develop from northwest to southeast. Around Helena, snow is likely tomorrow morning, but the snow will taper off from southwest to northeast tomorrow afternoon/evening. In north-central Montana, locations around and west of I-15 and in southern portions of north-central Montana, including around Great Falls and Lewistown, will see snow begin to develop during the morning. This snow will then overspread the rest of north-central Montana during the afternoon and evening, and will arrive in northeastern Montana during the late evening.
Widespread snow is then likely tomorrow night in north-central Montana, with areas of snow around the Helena area tomorrow night. Some of the snow that falls tomorrow and tomorrow night will be heavy at times. Light to moderate snow will then continue to fall on Saturday, especially in locations east of I-15, but this snow will gradually taper off from west to east as the day goes on.
Check the Montana Department of Transportation website before you hit the road to find out which roads are snow-covered, which ones have ice and/or slush, and if any roads are closed. You can also check MDT cameras from across the state by clicking here.
This snowstorm will drop a significant amount of snow. A widespread 3-12” of snow is expected in central and north-central Montana from this evening through Saturday evening, with most locations receiving 5-10” of snow. In the mountains, 6-18” of snow is expected through Saturday evening. Due to this snow, difficult travel conditions are expected tomorrow and Saturday (especially tomorrow afternoon through Saturday morning), so please use extreme caution when driving and consider delaying your travel if possible. Also, give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go.
It is also going to continue to be cold tomorrow and Saturday in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the single digits, teens, and low 20s, with lows in the -0s, 0s, and low 10s. Around Helena, highs tomorrow are going to be in the upper teens and low to mid 20s in most locations and highs on Saturday are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy in some areas east of I-15 on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. There is also going to be a breeze around on Saturday along the Divide and the Rocky Mountain Front as well as in northeastern Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Sunday, we are going to have mostly cloudy skies with a few snow showers around in north-central Montana and scattered snow around Helena. Snow is then likely around Helena on Monday and there is going to be some scattered snow around on Monday in north-central Montana, generally around and west of I-15 as well as along the MT 200 corridor. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures on these two days as highs are going to range from the single digits to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and the warmest temperatures around Helena.
We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies on Tuesday with a few snow showers around during the morning as a disturbance leaves our area. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures again on Tuesday as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures in northeastern Montana. It is also going to be a little breezy in some areas on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Some isolated rain and snow showers are then possible on Wednesday as another weak disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Warmer air is also going to return to our area for these two days as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Montana
Montana Sues Park Service Over Yellowstone National Park Bison Plan
Montana state officials have already made a New Year’s resolution: Sue the federal government. In a lawsuit filed on Dec. 31, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte accused the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) of violating established agreements for managing bison.
Federal wildlife officials have ignored Montana’s concerns about increased numbers of bison, the lawsuit said, and also avoided vaccinating the animals against brucellosis, a disease that worries the state’s cattle-ranching industry.
It’s the latest escalation in a decades-long conflict between state and federal officials over management of bison herds in Yellowstone National Park. The core issue is about how to manage the animals when they leave park borders and roam into Montana. According to the lawsuit, the NPS changed the rules regarding bison numbers and vaccination in a 2024 environmental impact statement without consulting state officials.
The lawsuit was filed in district court by Gianforte’s office, the Montana Department of Livestock, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The NPS didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
“The new Bison Management Plan is another example of Yellowstone National Park’s tendency to do what it wants, leaving Montana to collect the pieces,” the lawsuit said.
Is Livestock Disease the Issue?
The latest dispute began in 2000 when Yellowstone National Park implemented the Interagency Bison Management Plan. This long-term plan allowed for brucellosis-positive bison to live in Yellowstone. That concerned Montana officials because brucellosis can cause fetal abortion and sterility in livestock, and Yellowstone bison frequently roam outside of park boundaries.
State officials hoped the issue would be addressed when the NPS updated the management plan in July 2024. But that’s not what happened, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the updated plan violates previous agreements to keep bison Yellowstone bison herds under 3,000 animals, and avoids vaccinating them against brucellosis, Gov. Gianforte said in a July 2024 letter to federal officials.
“The condescending and disingenuous methods of NPS, and other agencies, is forcing a new day in the West,” Gianforte wrote.
While brucellosis has been found among Yellowstone bison, it’s more likely to infect livestock via elk herds, according to 2016 research from the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Any attempt to control the rate of spread in wildlife must be evaluated at the ecosystem scale and include an effective strategy to address infection in elk across the greater Yellowstone area. Focus on bison alone, as was suggested in the past, will not meet the disease eradication objective and conserve wildlife,” said the National Park Service’s Rick Wallen, lead wildlife biologist for the bison program in Yellowstone National Park and co-author of the 2016 study.
Too Many Bison?
But by 2023, the Yellowstone bison population had swelled to 6,000, or double the intended herd limit from the 2000 plan. That led to Montana hunters killing many of the animals at point-blank range as they wandered outside park borders, according to conservation groups Roam Free Nation and Alliance for the Wild Rockies.
“The so-called ‘hunt’ is just another tool to achieve what livestock interests want — to keep wild bison out of Montana,” the organizations said jointly in a press release.
Regardless, the Montana lawsuit requests a temporary pause of the 2024 bison plan while the court reviews the state’s claims.
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