Ever since Congress enacted the Superfund law nearly half a century ago, the phrase “polluter pays” has meant that individuals corporations, or entities responsible for polluting the environment will be held liable for the costs to clean up their toxic disasters.  

But comes now president-elect Donald Trump’s promise that “polluter pays” has an entirely different meaning — and one that’s fraught with creating foreseeable and avoidable environmental disasters primarily by excluding the public from agency permits and approvals. 

As he posted to Truth Social this week:  “Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.  GET READY TO ROCK!!!”

That choice of words is pretty ironic given the largest Superfund site in the nation is located right here in good old Butte, Montana — and the toxic pollution that not only plagues the town, but 100 miles of the Clark Fork River, came from mining rock and spewing the resulting poisons on the land, air and water.

Equally ironic and tragic is the fact that since Superfund’s enactment Butte, Anaconda, and the 100 miles of the Upper Clark Fork River have seen hundreds of millions of dollars spent trying to remediate (not clean up and reclaim) the vast scope of the pollution.

How did it happen?  Almost exactly like Trump’s incredibly ignorant offer that if you pay enough, you can buy government approval to pollute at will.  Only here, it happened because the Copper Kings “paid to pollute” through buying, bribing, threatening, and controlling the legislature, judges, sheriffs, and local and state government officials.

The old Butte joke at the legislature back then was to ask new legislators if “they got their envelope?” 

Of course, they’d ask, “What envelope?” 

And the old legislators would say “the one with the money from The Company” – because in fact, the Anaconda Company used to toss envelopes full of cash through the transom windows of the hotel rooms where legislators stayed in downtown Helena.  

No problem with pesky laws when you pay to pollute.  The Copper Kings got the gold, but Butte and Montana got the shaft and pit and poisoned river.  They fled with their fortunes, but here we are, 40+ years into Superfund activities with a projected “end” of — get this — 2038!  

I doubt Trump has ever been to Butte to admire the Berkeley Pit’s 50 billion gallons of toxic water — which will never be “cleaned up.”  He likely hasn’t seen the Opportunity Ponds, either, where millions of tons of toxic sediment removed from behind the failing Milltown Dam are now stored in the floodplain with groundwater only a foot (if that) below the surface. 

Nor, I suspect, has he ever been to Love Canal where unsuspecting residents were poisoned by buried chemical wastes in an incident so horrific it gave birth to the Superfund law because the culprits thought they could get away with scraping some dirt over the deadly toxins and selling it as a subdivision. 

There’s much wisdom in the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  And indeed, in Montana, the idea of “pay to pollute” is all too familiar and the “cure” remains both incredibly expensive and illusive. 

Before Trump goes through with his incredibly ill-conceived and shortsighted plan, maybe he ought to take a trip to Butte and see the results of “pay to pollute” — because here in Montana, we’ve been there and done that.  

Carol Goldwasser, a casting director who found actors for such popular kids-focused TV shows as Hannah Montana, Austin & Ally, Dog With a Blog and Cousins for Life, has died. She was 67.

Goldwasser died unexpectedly Dec. 5 at her home in Palm Springs after minor surgery, her friend and manager, Theodore Gekis, announced.

Known for her signature “Hi, Doll!” greeting and for nurturing such talent as Zac Efron, Khary Payton and Alison Brie, Goldwasser handled castings in Los Angeles and New York for more than two decades.

“Carol was a wonderfully talented casting director and a delight to be in the same room with,” Marc Hirschfeld, former executive vp casting at NBC, said in a statement. “Always positive, enthusiastic and with an annoyingly sunny disposition. The world will be a little less sunny without her.”

Born on Aug. 3, 1957, in Freeport, New York, Goldwasser excelled as a piano student as a youngster, graduating as salutatorian from East Meadow High School in 1975.

Earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance and education, summa cum laude, from the University at Buffalo, she originally intended to teach music but soon realized that the entertainment industry was for her.

Goldwasser began at Breakdown Services but launched her casting career as an assistant to Stuart Howard in New York City. In 1991, she ventured out to Los Angeles with no job but quickly became a casting associate for Fox’s Melrose Place and for the 1993 pilot of ABC’s My So-Called Life.

From 1994-96, she was manager of casting at Disney/Touchstone Television, where she supervised casting of all Disney/Touchstone pilots, series and movies of the week, then was director of casting for Disney/Touchstone Television in New York from 1996-98.

After working on such shows as UPN’s The Hughleys and NBC’s Inside Schwartz, Goldwasser used her expertise to help shape the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana (2006-11), Austin & Ally (2011-16) and Dog With a Blog (2012-15) and Nickelodeon’s Cousins for Life (2018-19), which she cast with former partner Howard Meltzer.

She thrived as an independent casting director for more than a decade until her retirement to Palm Springs in 2019.

Goldwasser, who served as chairperson of the diversity committee for the Casting Society of America, received two CSA Artios Awards off 11 nominations as well as a nom for television casting director of the year from the Heller Awards during her career.

Survivors include her sister, Diana; her brother-in-law, Philip; and her beloved kitty, Nala. A celebration of her life will be held in January, with details to be announced.

“After Carol’s long and successful career in casting, I was excited for her to forge a new path and find deep happiness in her retirement. She was thriving,” her friend Ann Maney said in a statement. “I will miss my dear friend. Goodbye, Doll!”

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 11, 2024, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

13-44-50-52-54, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

10-19-32-44-46, Lucky Ball: 01

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

04-14-30-45-50, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

03-07-20-27, Bonus: 13

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

18-23-34-60-62, Powerball: 19

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from Dec. 11 drawing

05-15-20-24-39

Check Montana Cash 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: 9:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
• Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
• Lotto America: 9:00 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: 8:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

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