Montana

Montana Senate debates wolf management bills

Published

12 months ago

March 28, 2025

Montana Senate debates wolf management bills

HELENA — The Montana Senate debated several House Bills Friday that could have a big impact on wolf management in the Treasure State.

The first bill heard was House Bill 176, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Maness, R-Dillon, which would require unlimited wolf hunting if the wolf population was over 550 animals statewide. The bill does provide for an exemption to the quota in the area around Yellowstone National Park.

(Watch to see legislators debate wolf management at the Montana Capitol)

Montana Senate debates wolf management bills

A 2023 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks report estimated the state’s wolf population at around 1,100 animals.

Proponents of the legislation say it is needed because they don’t believe the current wolf management in the state is working.

“The supporters of wolves, nor the [Montana] Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have offered any alternatives,” said Sen. Vince Ricci, R-Billings. “And so I think these bills are kind of forced on us because of the lack of support from FWP or the people that are supporters of the wolves not bringing any alternatives.”

Opponents of HB 176 say it’s applying methodology too broadly when the majority of the wolf population is located in northwestern Montana.

“I think it’s kind of misdirected a little bit and maybe too broad,” said Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade. “And I think there’s a different way to approach this. I know the sponsors have been frustrated by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission not being responsive. That’s a different story. But I think that’s where the solution could lie on this still.”

HB 176 narrowly passed second reading 26 to 24.

The next bill debated was HB 258, which requires the wolf hunting season extended through the current spring bear hunting season.

Proponents say it is needed to better manage the populations, while opponents say it would have a much larger impact than intended because the spring is when wolves den and raise their young.

HB 258 passed 30 to 20

The last wolf bill on the agenda, HB 259, would require the Fish and Wildlife Commission to adjust management techniques based on the conditions of the region. It also allows the commission to authorize the use of infrared scopes or thermal imagery scopes on private land.

HB 259 passed 32 to 18.

HB 176, HB 258 and HB 259 still need to pass a third reading before clearing the Senate chamber. Since the bills were amended in the Senate, they will be transmitted back to the House if they pass third reading.

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Montana

9K residents without power in Flathead Co.

Published

10 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

9K residents without power in Flathead Co.

KALISPELL, Mont. — Flathead Electric reports more than 9,000 customers in Flathead County are currently without power.

Officials say the outage is due to a transmission service disruption from Bonneville Power Administration.

Their outage map currently shows 9,700 outages.

The BPA outage is also affecting Lincoln Electric customers Eureka, Rexford and Trego. Close to 6,000 outages are reported on their outage map.

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NBC Montana will continue following this story for updates.

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Montana

Montana finalizes 2026 primary candidate list

Published

22 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Montana finalizes 2026 primary candidate list

HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s 2026 primary election ballot is taking shape after a busy candidate filing period that drew hundreds of hopefuls.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana election team finalized the list of candidates after 380 total candidates filed between Feb. 17 and March 4. Of those candidates, 19 withdrew from their races.

Six independent candidates are still waiting to qualify via petition before being added to the general election ballot.

The following was sent out by the Office of the Montana Secretary of State:

Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Election Team have completed ballot certification for Montana’s 2026 Primary Election, finalizing the list of candidates who will appear before voters on Tuesday, June 2.

Pursuant to Montana law, county election administrators certify local candidates for the primary ballot in their respective counties, while the Secretary of State’s Office certifies the names and designations of statewide and state district candidates, including candidates for federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices.

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) notified the Secretary of State’s Office and the county election administrators of any candidate(s) whose name(s) may not appear on the ballot pursuant to Montana law.

“The ballot certification process is a key step in ensuring Montana’s elections are accurate, secure, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I’m grateful to our state election officials and the county election administrators and their teams across the state for their hard work preparing for the 2026 Primary Election.”

A total of 380 candidates filed with the Secretary of State’s Office during the candidate filing period (Tuesday, February 17 – Wednesday, March 4). Several candidates withdrew from their respective races, while Independent candidates are pending petition requirements to qualify for the general election ballot.

Filings with the Secretary of State’s Office included:

United States Senator: Twelve total candidates filed for the office, though one withdrew and one is pending petition requirements. Five Democrats, three Republicans, and two Libertarians will appear on Montanans’ Primary Election ballots. One Independent candidate must meet Montana’s petition requirements.
United States Representative: Sixteen total filings in the 1st and 2nd Congressional races.
1st Congressional (MT-01) Ten candidates submitted paperwork for the Congressional seat – four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Libertarian. One Independent candidate must meet petition requirements. The incumbent did not file for re-election.
2nd Congressional (MT-02) Six candidates submitted filing paperwork, including the incumbent, who is the lone Republican to file for the race. Three Democrats and one Libertarian filed, while one Independent also submitted their paperwork for the race and is pending petition requirements.
Public Service Commission: Seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the two PSC seats.
PSC District 1: Two Republicans and one Democrat will appear before voters for the open seat.
PSC District 5: The incumbent is one of three Republicans to file for the seat, while one Democrat also filed.
Supreme Court Justice: Two candidates filed for the Supreme Court Justice No. 4 race – Judge Dan Wilson was the first to file for Montana’s high court, and Judge Amy Eddy followed suit later the same day.
District Court Judge: Thirteen candidates submitted filings, including several judges currently on the bench.
Legislature: The majority of candidate filings were for Legislative seats, where 329 total filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 130 of which came on the opening day.
Montana State Senate: Sixty-six candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election, including more than 10 incumbents.
Montana State House: A total of 235 candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election. Three Independent candidates are pending petition requirements. Dozens of incumbents filed for re-election.