Montana
Montana is Not “a Product” and Government is Not “a Business”
Photo by Brynn Pedrick
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has boasted that “Montana is an easy product to sell” and recently referred to himself as our state’s CEO.
He’s dead wrong on both counts. Montana is a state, not a product — and government is not a business. We have elected officials whose duty it is to serve the people with the greatest good for the greatest number — not CEOs whose job is to maximize profits for corporate shareholders.
Of course Gianforte is not the first nor the last person to come to Montana and evince the attitude that Montanans don’t recognize the value of what we have — and then go on to “market” what we hold dear to wring financial profit from the state’s incredible natural assets and hardworking citizens.
In truth, the other side of marketing, which so many governors, both Republican and Democrat, have mistakenly believed was their job, is maintenance of those natural assets and our people — not auctioning them off to the highest bidder.
Like any asset, natural or otherwise, you simply cannot put more and more pressure on a finite resource before the resource itself is degraded. And right now under Gianforte’s administration, make no mistake, our resources and people are being degraded.
Gianforte’s view of Montana is not unlike that of the railroad, timber, and cattle barons or the Copper Kings. That view sees what can be cut, mined, drilled, grazed and taken from the land to produce profit for the takers — not what can and should be “maintained and improved” as mandated by Montana’s constitution.
But how has that worked out? Well, the railroad barons got vast holdings of federal lands to supposedly build lines and maintain rail service to “settle the West.” Yet today Montana has no passenger service on its southern rail line and there are no rail lines going up all the valleys in which the government so generously granted the railroad barons every other section of public land.
Even worse, those vast tracts of once-public lands have been mercilessly clearcut, leaving stumpfields and thousands of acres of knapweed infestations among the spiderwebs of eroding logging roads thanks to a decision by Plum Creek’s board of directors to “liquidate” their timber holdings.
And liquidate they did, with a vengeance and nodding approval from its CEO, just as Gianforte is now doing with state forests. That’s what CEOs do — liquidate assets to produce revenue. But Montana’s budget surplus means we don’t need to and shouldn’t be razing our forests for money.
Meanwhile, if you look at the “maintenance” part of the equation, the toll is tragic. Our deer are now laced with Chronic Wasting Disease, our once world-famous rivers are dry and hot irrigation ditches with crashing trout populations. And our parks and campgrounds are so overrun with tourists Montanans have to get reservations to go to places they’ve gone for years.
Nor are our fellow Montanans in any way, shape, or form “shareholders” since the “dividends” from marketing the state do not accrue to the populace, which now finds itself incapable of even affording a home in their own state. No, the profits from marketing Montana go to the developers, the subdividers, and the luxury resort and private hunting lodge owners.
And so the governor, like carpetbaggers of the past, sees Montana as a commodity to be sold and profits reaped. As for future generations, Christian evangelicals like Gianforte don’t worry too much about the future since they’re very sure the rapture is imminent. But “get as much as you can as fast as you can” is no way to run a state – especially with Gianforte as its “CEO.”
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Montana
Public Meeting at Hub on Smith Concerning Montana Water Call Prompting Priority Administration in Tongue Basin
Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart announced that on May 5, 2026, the State of Montana placed a call under Article V(A) of the Yellowstone River Compact to fill Tongue River Reservoir in Montana. As a result, priority administration is in effect on post-1950 water rights in Wyoming that divert water from the Tongue River and its tributaries and are not excluded from the compact.
A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 18, in the dining room of The Hub on Smith. Attendees are asked to enter on the north side of the building.
The Tongue River Basin has been experiencing drought conditions over the past year with historically low winter snowpack and streamflow conditions. According to the release, those conditions led to Montana’s interstate call and prompted the administration of the Tongue River Basin in Wyoming.
The priority administration will affect post-1950 water rights within the Tongue River Basin, including reservoir storage, stream diversions and groundwater withdrawals, all of which affect river flows. Post-1950 water rights will be regulated off or prevented from turning on. Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners will continue to administer reservoir storage and post-1950 diversions throughout the spring and work with affected water users until the administration is lifted.
As provided in the compact, domestic uses less than one-half acre in area and livestock uses, including stock reservoirs less than 20 acre-feet in capacity, are excluded from this administration. The release noted these excluded rights could be subject to future regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
Beginning May 5, 2026, Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners have worked to record the current storage levels of reservoirs with post-1950 water rights. Going forward, those reservoirs can continue to accrue storage so long as post-1950 storage gained after the interstate call on May 5 remains in storage until either the water is released to satisfy the Montana call or Montana lifts the call because Tongue River Reservoir will fill.
Reservoirs with unfulfilled pre-1950 water rights can continue to store water and that storage will not be subject to release to satisfy Montana’s call. However, that storage and other direct flow rights could be subject to regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
The priority administration will be carried out pursuant to state law by hydrographer-commissioners assigned to various portions of the Tongue River Basin, working under the direction of Division II Superintendent David Schroeder.
The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office can be contacted at:
Jack Morey, deputy state engineer, 307-777-5032, jack.morey2@wyo.gov
David Schroeder, Division II superintendent, 307-674-7012, d.schroeder@wyo.gov
Jeff Cowley, interstate streams administrator, 307-777-1942, jeff.cowley@wyo.gov
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 12, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 12 drawing
17-32-35-40-47, Mega Ball: 17
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 12 drawing
04-12-17-24, Bonus: 11
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 12 drawing
19-21-35-38-53, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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