BOZEMAN — According to the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, two people died on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, due to a wrong-way driver on Interstate 90.

The Montana Highway Patrol says the crash happened on I-90 eastbound, west of the Highway 287 interchange in Three Forks, at about 7:20 a.m.

The Sheriff’s Office says a driver got on the interstate at the Wheat Montana exit (Exit 274), and initially drove in the right direction before making a u-turn a few miles west of the exit.

The driver reportedly struck another vehicle at mile marker 272.

Broadwater County Sheriff/Coroner Nick Rauser says the man driving in the wrong direction is from Washington; the driver of the vehicle that was struck is a man from Montana.

The identities of the two men who died have not yet been released, pending family notification.

Sheriff Rauser says the Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. There are reportedly several witnesses, including video from a semi-truck.

According to the Montana Department of Transportation, one eastbound lane remains blocked as of 11 a.m. as investigators continue their work.

No other details have been released at this point. We will update you when we get more information.

We call Montana “The Last Best Place” for good reason. Millions of visitors come to share in our state’s breathtaking landscapes and vibrant communities each year, supporting nearly 50,000 Montana jobs and bringing at least $5 billion to our state annually, according to a study by the University of Montana. This revenue fueled our post-pandemic recovery, providing a lifeline to our hotels, local restaurants, and countless small businesses.

I know how crucial these visitors are to our state’s economic health. Many tourists can afford trips to Big Sky Country thanks to credit card rewards points. About one-third of Americans have travel rewards credit cards, allowing them to subsidize flights and hotel stays with earned points.

Unfortunately, Congress is considering legislation that could jeopardize these rewards programs. That would have devastating ripple effects on Montana’s tourism sector and by extension, our whole economy. The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) mimics a 2010 piece of legislation called the Durbin Amendment, named for its sponsor, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. This measure imposed routing mandates on debit cards, forcing banks to open debit transaction processing to less secure payment networks.

When banks and credit unions saw their interchange revenue drop because of the Durbin Amendment, they tried to make up for it by slashing services like no-fee debit cards and debit card rewards, and free checking accounts. The real winners of the Durbin Amendment were mega retailers, who were able to rake in an additional $106 billion, and counting. However, they did not lower costs for consumers, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Unfortunately, Congress is still considering doubling down on this policy mistake by expanding routing mandates to credit card transactions with the CCCA.

This isn’t speculation – we can look to other countries that have implemented similar policies. After Australia enacted this type of regulation on credit cards, rewards point values dropped by nearly 25 percent and no-fee credit cards all but disappeared.

If the CCCA passes, the nation’s largest retailers – Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon, and Costco – stand to gain over $1 billion, while consumers face the loss of no-fee credit cards and valuable travel rewards. Montana’s economy can’t afford these losses. We need policies that encourage visitors to explore our national parks and charming small towns, not make travel more difficult.

I urge our Congressional delegation to reject this handout to big box stores and stand up for Montana’s vital tourism sector. Our local businesses and hardworking families are counting on it.

Senator Mark Noland is the vice chairman of the Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs committee. He represents Senate District 5 in the Flathead.

GREAT FALLS — NorthWestern Energy announced in a news release on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Energy West Montana from Hope Utilities for $39 million.

The proposed transaction will be reviewed and is subject to approval by the Montana Public Service Commission.

Energy West operations are located in Great Falls, Cut Bank, Cascade, and West Yellowstone.

Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2025, Energy West Montana’s employees will become NorthWestern Energy employees.

Energy West customers will remain Energy West customers until the sale closes and will transition to customers of NorthWestern Energy upon closing, with current Energy West rates remaining in effect after the transaction is complete.

“This is an opportunity for growth in our natural gas business in Montana by purchasing existing infrastructure built for Montanans and operated by a dedicated Montana team,” said NorthWestern Energy President and CEO Brian Bird in the news release. “We are excited about the opportunity to serve Energy West’s 33,000 customers across Great Falls, Cut Bank, Cascade and West Yellowstone. By integrating Energy West’s Montana operations, we believe customers, employees and communities will be well served as a part of our commitment to Montana and to delivering safe and reliable energy.”

NorthWestern Energy also announced Tuesday it has reached a deal to acquire a 370-megawatt share in the Colstrip coal plant in southeastern Montana. NorthWestern will take over the share of fellow co-owner Puget Sound Energy at no cost effective January 1, 2026.

The current majority stakeholder, Talen Energy, had originally made a deal to buy Puget Sound Energy’s stake in 2022, but that deal fell apart in the wake of Talen’s bankruptcy declaration.

Colstrip’s co-owners in the Pacific Northwest have been trying to get out of the coal business after voters in Washington and Oregon approved measures requiring utilities to move away from fossil fuels in favor of renewables, injecting uncertainty into the future of the plant.

NorthWestern argues that Montana needs the reliable baseload power that Colstrip provides to meet growing demand, supplemented by growing wind and solar energy on the grid.

Montana governor Greg Gianforte said, “Today’s announcement is yet another step in securing a strong future for Montana-made energy. Working with our partners, we’ve defended our all-of-the-above energy strategy to increase access to affordable, reliable energy for all Montana consumers. I thank NorthWestern for their continued investment in our state and in the community of Colstrip.”