Montana
Mother Nature will continue to limit growth in Montana and the West • Daily Montanan
“For there is not sufficient water to supply the land.” – John Wesley Powell, 1893
The basic tenet of capitalism is that continuous growth is necessary for the economy. And indeed, our politicians from both major parties wholeheartedly and without question embrace the unrealistic concept that you can have infinite growth on a finite resource base.
But as the West’s climate-caused mega-drought continues, it appears Mother Nature is about to tune us up to the fact that she, not the theoretical economists, calls the shots and will, whether they like it or not, limit Montana’s out-of-control and out-of-resources growth.
Not that this wasn’t foreseen.
“Gentlemen, you are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights. For there is not sufficient water to supply the land.” That prescient advice was rendered at an irrigation conference in 1893 by John Wesley Powell, who had a vast wealth of experience in the West, including being the first to take open boats down the raging — and now drying — Colorado River in his 1869 expedition.
His prophetic vision was ignored by powerful railroad barons, intent on “settling the West” and plundering its vast resources. Yet, only 30 years after Powell’s warning, their dreams of continuous growth and vast profits did nothing to fend off the Dust Bowl that would bring an end to thousands of subsistence farmers, literally blowing them off the powdered, bone-dry land due to a lack of rain and snow.
A century later, the West is now faced with a similar lack of precipitation, and as Powell predicted, the “heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights” is sweeping the West thanks in large part to the fact that state governments have awarded more water rights than there is water in the rivers to fulfill them.
The examples are many, and stacking up every day. Here in Montana the Big Hole, our once world-famous trout stream, is experiencing collapsing trout populations due to low flows and high water temperatures. Even the rivers draining Glacier National Park are struggling with lack of water due to increasingly lower snowpacks. One only need look at our brown mountains in December to see the proof and wonder “when will it snow?”
Or how about the continuing desiccation of the Great Salt Lake — which threatens to make Salt Lake City unlivable for its three million residents due to the toxic dusts blowing off the dry salt flats? In desperation, the state has already spent tens of millions of dollars trying to re-water the lake. And now, some $50 million of federal money is being thrown down that black hole trying to deny the drought while another $10 million is slated to lease water rights. But here’s the rub, water leasing only works if there’s water in the rivers to lease.
Closer to home, a real estate developer is proposing “Old Town Sheridan,” an 800-home development in Sheridan, Montana, that is being pitched “as a veteran-centered, faith-based community with everything from light manufacturing to an equine center and a golf club.” It’s laughable since the would-be developer has no land and apparently hasn’t checked the flows in the Jefferson River, which saw its golden days as a trout stream pass many years ago and now barely trickles to the confluence with the Gallatin and Madison at Three Forks.
It’s obvious there’s no limit to greed in the West. But in the end, as Powell predicted, it will be Mother Nature that puts the limits on growth in our naturally arid region — and it’s about time we acknowledged that inescapable truth.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, 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.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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