Montana

“Unusually high” number of amicus briefs filed in Montana teen environmental lawsuit

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

“Unusually high” number of amicus briefs filed in Montana teen environmental lawsuit

HELENA — Last summer, after a weeklong trial, a judge in Helena ruled in favor of 16 young plaintiffs who challenged the state of Montana over the constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. It was a ruling that state leaders quickly appealed, and that appeal is set to go before the Montana Supreme Court in the coming months.

In the highly watched case of Held v. Montana, the plaintiffs – aged between 5 and 22 – claimed Montana’s handling of greenhouse gas emissions was contributing to climate change and harming their rights, as established in the state constitution.

In her ruling, District Judge Kathy Seeley wrote that climate could be considered part of the “clean and healthful environment” the constitution guarantees. She said there was a “fairly traceable connection” between a state law that prevented regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews, and the climate impacts that contributed to the plaintiffs’ harms. Seeley declared that law unconstitutional, along with another that said challenges over greenhouse gases can’t generally be used to void or delay a permit.

Supporters of the plaintiffs called the ruling a landmark, connecting the state’s energy policies to the impacts of climate change – and potentially establishing a precedent for future climate-related court cases.

However, attorneys for the state argued in their appeal brief, filed earlier this month, that the case should never have reached trial. They said climate policy is a political issue that shouldn’t be decided in the courts, and they questioned whether the remedies the plaintiffs were seeking would resolve the harms they had pointed to.

The extensive interest in the Held case can be seen in the number of amicus briefs – filings from groups or individuals who aren’t directly involved in the case, but asked the court to consider their input. As of Friday, the Montana Supreme Court had received nine amicus briefs for this appeal – which Supreme Court Clerk Bowen Greenwood told MTN is far more than a typical case.

The amicus filings include a brief from House Speaker Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, who argued it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to enact laws to ensure a clean and healthful environment and that Seeley’s decision overstepped on their authority.

Other briefs came from Montana chambers of commerce and other business groups, who said the decision could lead to more litigation holding up projects and delaying needed investment in Montana. A group of 15 Republican attorneys general from other states said the judge’s order would inevitably encourage Montana to make decisions that would interfere with energy policy outside the state’s borders, impacting other states’ rights.

The plaintiffs will have until next month to submit their brief in response to the state’s appeal. After that, the state will have the opportunity to make one more reply before the case is sent to the Supreme Court justices.

Once the justices have the case, it will be up to them to decide when they’re ready to make a ruling.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Big Sky Bonus, Millionaire for Life results for June 14, 2026

Published

14 minutes ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 14, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 14 drawing

02-10-14-23, Bonus: 06

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 14 drawing

03-06-16-18-48, 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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Montana

How one Montanan has tapped into the market of bison shearing — and turned it into a successful business

Published

10 hours ago

June 14, 2026

Press Room

How one Montanan has tapped into the market of bison shearing — and turned it into a successful business

CLYDE PARK — You might be familiar with alpaca shearing, but did you know there’s a man right here in Montana who also shears bison? And has made it into a successful business?

“This bail right here, that is 500 pounds of bison fiber that is going to Italy,” said Peter Connelly.

WATCH: Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber

Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber

Connelly has been shearing for 21 years.

“About 13 years ago, I had an opportunity to start shearing bison hides,” said Connelly. “It was the most amazing thing. Like, they look rough and rugged, which they are… but when you get into their winter coat that they grow, it’s as soft as cashmere.”

As Connelly explains, he was first contracting for companies as a bison shearer. But, he noticed they would mostly use the bison fibers for beanies and socks. He saw more potential.

“Bison has been gate-kept essentially by the people that we were shearing for,” said Connelly. “There’s a lot of interest. It’s the last natural fiber that has not been explored.”

So, he decided to expand, partnering with various companies to do research and development with bison fiber.

“We know what we want to do with it, but we want to see what other people can do with it,” said Connelly.

In addition to selling bison fiber, Connelly founded a company last October called Ember Heritage to sell his own products, such as shirts and blankets.

“We’ve built this company vertically. So, at a point in our manufacturing chain, we can sell,” said Connelly.

Besides breaking into an untapped market, Connelly says bison shearing helps reduce waste, as it is a byproduct of the meat industry.

“If we don’t shear it, it goes to the tannery, and the tannery just uses chemicals to melt off the fiber to get to the leather,” he said.

End-to-end, Connelly says shearing bison benefits everyone involved.

“What we’re doing by basically renting the hide from them is adding value to the animal so the rancher gets more money when he brings the animal in on the hoof,” said Connelly.

“All the way around, everyone is doing better because we just added one more step,” he added.

If you’re interested in learning more about Ember Heritage, visit this link.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for June 13, 2026

Published

21 hours ago

June 14, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 13, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 13 drawing

03-13-44-50-53, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from June 13 drawing

06-13-31-35-48, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 13 drawing

05-11-14-31, Bonus: 03

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 13 drawing

24-55-56-57-67, Powerball: 15

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 13 drawing

08-28-40-43-44

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 13 drawing

03-05-11-13-49, 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.

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