Montana
Montana Tunnels: Another mining disaster – Daily Montanan
The severely misnamed Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently announced that it was “initiating the bond forfeiture process for the Montana Tunnels mine after the mine failed to make a $1.5 million reclamation bond payment in December that was a court-approved bankruptcy stipulation.”
This latest disaster — in a long string of abandoned, bankrupt and perpetually-polluting mines — brings to mind the old adage: “The once burnt child fears the fire.” But in Montana’s case, it’s more like we’ve been napalmed — and the state agencies, apparently incapable of learning from our costly and destructive mistakes, continue to permit mining.
The Montana Tunnels mine became “fully operational” in 1986. For those who may not remember, this was 10 years after ARCO bought out the Anaconda Co. in what Wall Street eventually called “the worst corporate acquisition of the decade.”
Forty years later, the “reclamation” debacle continues to drag on with Butte, Anaconda and the Upper Clark Fork carrying the stigma of being the largest Superfund site in the nation.
The year of 1986 was also well into the era when the mining industry promised “new” mining would never create environmental disasters. But considering the long list of environmental disasters the industry has since left behind, one might think our “regulatory” agencies would realize they shouldn’t consider the promises of mining corporations seriously.
The old “take the gold and declare bankruptcy” ploy has left Montanans on the taxpayer hook for more than $100 million at the former Pegasus Gold Zortman-Landusky mine alone — to say nothing of its abandoned Beal Mountain Mine. Then there was ASARCO’s Mike Horse Mine that poisoned the Blackfoot River when it’s poorly-engineered tailings dam failed — and that continues to leach and require treatment of acid mine drainage. Or how about W.R. Grace’s disaster in Libby that killed — and continues to kill — hundreds of Montanans thanks to asbestosis from their vermiculite mining operation?
And then, of course, there’s Golden Sunlight — hailed as the bright light of “new mining” — it now requires treatment in perpetuity to address cyanide-poisoned water at the very confluence of the Boulder and Jefferson rivers. This disaster launched the successful citizens’ initiative to ban cyanide heap leach mining in Montana in the late 1990s. Notably, it came from citizens, not Montana’s Legislature, governor or its “environmental quality” agency.
As noted in the recent article: “But the troubled mine hasn’t operated since 2008, and its permit was suspended in 2018 for failure to post an adequate bond. In December 2022, Montana Tunnels filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection.”
The Department of Environmental Quality, meanwhile, holds about half of the $40 million reclamation cost.
Faced with another very large hole in the ground that’s filling with water as its side-walls collapse, the Gianforte administration, like the Republican and Democrat administrations before it, isn’t leaping into action to begin reclamation — it’s looking for someone to buy it and says it has five years before it terminates the permit.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me over and over and over again — shame on the Department of Environmental Quality and the Republican and Democrat governors who continue to ignore our constitution and sell out present and future generations by kowtowing to hit-and-run mining corporations.
George Ochenski is a longtime Helena resident, an environmental activist and Montana’s longest-running columnist.
For many Montanans living in rural communities, accessing specialized healthcare isn’t as simple as booking an appointment. It can mean hours on the road to cities like Great Falls. But a growing outreach effort from health care like Benefis Health System is changing that reality by bringing providers directly to patients.
Brianna Juneau reports – watch the video here:
Providers travel to bring specialty care to Montana communities
Instead of requiring long-distance travel, Benefis doctors and advanced practice providers are hitting the road, delivering care in towns across North Central Montana. The goal: reduce barriers to access and ensure patients receive timely treatment closer to home.
“In this geographic area, sometimes some of the more medically complex children are seen by pediatricians,” said pediatrician Rachel Amthor. “It can be an opportunity to try to reach some children with medical complexity who do live in a rural area.”
That access can be especially impactful for young patients. In some communities, clinics are located near schools, allowing children to attend appointments without missing an entire day of class.
“There’s very much a community atmosphere with the clinic,” Amthor said. “I’ll have some patients walk from school during the day to come to their checkup and then walk back. They don’t have to miss a lot of school because everything is so close.”
But for many adults, particularly those working in agriculture, traveling for care can be a major obstacle.
“They either have to arrange transportation or they don’t drive at all—it’s an ordeal,” said Elizabeth O’Connor, a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner. “Some of our patients travel for a whole day to get here and back, or they have to spend the night. A lot of farmers and ranchers just can’t leave their property for that long.”
By bringing services into rural towns, providers can catch health issues earlier and make critical adjustments before conditions worsen.
“We’re able to make some simple adjustments in their medications that may prevent heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, admissions,” O’Connor said. “Providing access can certainly improve—if not longevity—the quality of their life.”
Benefis’ outreach clinics now serve a wide range of communities, offering specialty care that would otherwise require travel:
Choteau: Cardiology, OBGYN, Podiatry, Pediatrics
Fort Benton: Pediatrics, Cardiology, Podiatry, Dietician/Nutrition services, Diabetes Education, Functional Medicine and Hormone Replacement Therapy
Conrad: Cardiology
Cut Bank: Women’s Health
Havre: Nephrology and Neurology
Rocky Boy: Women’s Health and Nephrology
Shelby: Orthopedics
White Sulphur Springs: Women’s health
Lewistown: Orthopedics and Dermatology
Browning: Nephrology
Many of these services are critical for managing chronic conditions, ranging from heart disease to kidney disorders, where consistent follow-up care can significantly impact outcomes.
For providers like Amthor, the outreach effort is deeply personal.
“I became a pediatrician because I wanted to treat kids in underserved areas,” she said. “I was not expecting to be working in rural Montana, but that has been different and very good.”
As the program continues to grow, Benefis leaders say they hope to expand services even further, reaching more communities and reducing healthcare disparities across the state.
In places where distance has long defined access, these traveling clinics are helping ensure that quality care is no longer out of reach, but right down the road.
Oil pipelines, it turns out, are one of the few things that can still get Montanans riled up. And now, here we go again.
Donald Trump has finalized the approval of one of the largest cross-state pipelines in U.S. history, a nearly three-foot wide pipeline that will carry oil from Canada through Montana to Wyoming when built out. It means if this thing goes ahead, you are looking at around 550,000 barrels a day moving through the region. That is no small enterprise either, and it has already placed Montana squarely in the middle of a well-worn debate.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A Debate Montana Knows All Too Well
If all of this is ringing any bells for you, you are not wrong. Montana has been here before when it comes to pipeline debates, and just like last time, people are already divided. On one side, you have folks looking at this and thinking jobs, energy independence, and perhaps, bringing some much-needed relief to the gas pump. Because in all honesty, fuel has been rough lately. Every single fill-up makes you feel like you are buying concert tickets, not gas. For a lot of people, it sounds like progress.
Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images
Not Everyone Is Celebrating
Then there is the other camp, and they are hardly celebrating. Once again, environmental concerns are front and center. Spills, land impact, long-term risk. Everything that tends to get brushed aside until something actually breaks. Montana is not exactly short on people who care about the land. That part is not political. That is just reality out here. So when a pipeline cuts across the state, it quickly feels like poking a hornet’s nest.
Joe Raedle/Newsmakers
So Where Does This Go From Here
So where does that leave things? That is the question right now. Is this a move toward cheaper energy and greater stability, or is it another gamble with long-term consequences? The truth is, it is probably both. That said, construction crews are not rolling in tomorrow. The project still has hurdles to clear and could run into legal challenges. But the conversation is already here, and it is not going anywhere. And if history is any guide, Montana is going to have plenty to say about it.
Counties with the highest cancer rates in Montana
Gallery Credit: Stacker
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 30, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 30 drawing
07-09-18-28, Bonus: 07
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 30 drawing
05-19-21-42-55, Bonus: 03
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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