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Recent posts
- Beartooth landowners victorious in lawsuit against Stillwater County
- PLEASE NOTE: Change in Zoom access code for today’s hearing
- Action alert: Watch court hearing on Zoom, Thursday, 2:00 pm
- Action alert: Stillwater County Planning Board meeting, Wed, 9/4, 7pm
- Must attend! Stillwater County Planning Board: Wednesday, August 7, 7pm
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Tag Archives: Beartooth Front
Action alert: New developments in landowner lawsuit against Stillwater County; what you can do to help
A district court hearing in the Beartooth Front landowners’ suit against the Stillwater County Commissioners, originally scheduled for May 23, was postponed by mutual agreement of the parties. The reason for the postponement was a positive development in discussions between the landowners and the Commissioners.
The two sides agreed that the landowners would propose a county-inititiated zone to the Stillwater Planning Commission on June 5. If the Planning Commission recommends forming the zone, which would regulate oil and gas activity along the Beartooth Front, and the Commissioners approve it, the lawsuit would become unnecessary.
If the zone is not formed, the lawsuit will continue.
You can provide critical support by attending the Planning Commission meeting and speaking up to show that residents are behind the landowners’ efforts. Read the post to find out more, and forward this post to others who you think might attend. Continue reading
Why is Stillwater County spending tens of thousands of dollars on high priced out of state lawyers?
The Stillwater County Commissioners have retained a high-priced out-of-state law firm to defend a lawsuit filed against them by Beartooth Front landowners. Over 60% of the landowners in the area have petitioned the County to set up a citizen-initiated zone to regulate oil and gas drilling, in accordance with Montana law.
Why would they hire a firm from out of state? And why would they hire a firm with rates much higher than would be charged by an expert Montana firm? It’s impossible to tell for sure. There has been no public notice of any contractual relationship with an outside firm. A look at recent Commissioner agendas and meeting minutes makes no mention of a contract.
But a look at the facts shows that the Commissioners have gone out of their way not only to deprive local landowners of their rights, but to establish a precedent that will end citizen-initiated zoning in Montana. In doing so they will pave the way for the oil and gas industry to operate without regard for local communities. This agenda dovetails perfectly with the national agenda of the oil and gas industry.
To find out more about this law firm, click the link. Continue reading
Incredible Beartooth Front nature photography
In my search for relevant content I sometimes run into unexpected treasures to share. A Red Lodge resident posting as rdragon on a site called wunderground.com has posted hundreds of amazing photos that he has taken of the region. Thought … Continue reading
Update: Letter to BLM regarding Beartooth Front lease parcel
Many thanks for the substantial response to the request earlier this week for letters to the BLM regarding oil leasing of a large parcel on the Wyoming side of the Beartooth Front. At least 15 people indicated, either here or … Continue reading
Posted in Shared Letters and Posts
Tagged Beartooth Front, BLM parcels, Crosby 25-3 blowout, Deb Thomas
1 Comment
Billings Gazette Guest Opinion: Mary E Fitzpatrick
Good neighbor agreements take 2 sides Reprinted from the April 27, 2014 edition of the Billings Gazette by Mary E Fitzpatrick Thanks, Gazette editorial board (Getting along with Beartooth neighbors, April 3), for highlighting a solution that could resolve community … Continue reading
Ravalli Republic Letter to the Editor: Reform the Board of Oil and Gas
The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the online editon of the Ravalli Republic (Hamilton, Montana) on March 30, 2014: The Red Lodge area has been described as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, nestled in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains. … Continue reading
The Northern Plains Resource Council will hold a mixer Thursday evening February 13 to talk about efforts to prevent oil and gas development in the Beartooth Front. Called “For the Love of the Beartooths,” the mixer will be held at … Continue reading
Updates from topics covered in previous posts. Fracking and fetal health On a couple of occasions we’ve looked at scientific studies linking birth issues with a mother’s proximity to fracking wells. On January 5, we looked at a study that … Continue reading
Energy Corporation of America (ECA), which recently announced plans to drill 50 wells along the Beartooth Front and promised to bring “the Bakken to the Big Horns [and the Beartooths] … and fundamentally change these areas the way it has … Continue reading
Video: The effects of oil and gas drilling on water quality
https://vimeo.com/69253030 On Tuesday I posted a reader’s report from last week’s water testing seminar in Lewistown. This video lecture looks at the issue of water from a different standpoint: what we know and don’t know about the risks to water quality … Continue reading
Preserve the Beartooth Front 