HELENA, Mont. -- A wide range of groups are supporting an effort to protect cherished rivers in Montana.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has introduced the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, which would nearly double the river miles in the state protected as Wild and Scenic.

The effort stretches back more than a decade and includes support from businesses, tribes and Sibanye Stillwater Mining Company, which operates in the state and is one of the largest platinum and palladium producers in the world.

Scott MacFarlane, Gallatin County commissioner, said his county's economy relies heavily on natural resources.

"People come here to recreate around our rivers, and they expect to be able to have the pristine West here," MacFarlane remarked. "It's part of what they see of value in visiting here, and it's also a reason people want to live here and invest here. It's the reason that companies are able to recruit employees here."

The act would protect 385 miles and 20 segments of river, including parts of the Yellowstone, Madison and Gallatin.

MacFarlane acknowledged the agriculture industry has expressed concerns about water rights. However, the legislation includes language to protect existing water rights, which also is the case with the original Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Marci Dye, owner of Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop in Red Lodge, said her mother was instrumental in protecting part of East Rosebud Creek as Wild and Scenic in 2018.

Dye noted Red Lodge, like other Montana communities, has a resort tax that has greatly benefited the town, especially as popularity for outdoor recreation shot up in the past year.

"The resort tax revenues are up significantly, which is going to impact our infrastructure funds and our parks funds, and we're implementing a new swimming pool with resort tax funds," Dye outlined. "So, you know, visitation does have its benefits. It's a big, happy circle, eventually."

MacFarlane argued protections are important because people in Gallatin County understand they are stewards of a resource that passes through state after state on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

"We have the town of Three Forks in our county, and the Three Forks is where these three headwaters rivers of the Missouri meet," MacFarlane explained. "And we kind of feel a responsibility that this is our river, we got to enjoy it, but it's also our responsibility to take care of it."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

West Virginia environmental groups are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, arguing the agency failed to consider residents' health when it gave the stamp of approval for the creation of four valley fills on a thousand-acre surface mine in Raleigh County.

Vernon Halton, executive director of the nonprofit Coal River Mountain Watch says the region experienced severe flooding in the 1990s and early 2000s, and says more valley fills, which involve dumping rocks, minerals and waste into nearby waterways, will put their lives at risk.

"It's going to permanently endanger the people whose homes are in the valleys below, he explained."

According to Environment America, valley fills permanently bury headwater streams and reduce water quality. More than 2,000 miles of headwater streams have been buried due to mountaintop removal.

Haltom added that communities continue to grapple with health challenges unparalleled outside of the coalfields.

"Higher rates of cancer, higher rates of heart disease, higher rates of birth defects, higher rates of other diseases, and most of them can be linked to the airborne dust that people are forced to breathe," he continued.

Research has shown breathing in toxic dust promotes the growth of lung cancer cells in people living in communities near mountaintop removal. Coal is mined in 22 of West Virginia's 55 counties, according to federal data.

A Knoxville environmental group is raising concerns over federal budget cuts and their effects on jobs at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The Trump Administration briefly laid off workers at the complex but called them back the next day.

Tanvi Kardile, coordinator for the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, warned the cuts, including layoffs at the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration, are troubling. She advocated shifting jobs from weapons production to environmental cleanup, citing ongoing efforts to address groundwater contamination, though she pointed out cost overruns and major concerns remain unaddressed.

"One of these cuts we feel should be the uranium processing facility, which is being constructed to replace, all these old, deteriorating buildings at Y-12," Kardile explained. "The budget for that keeps skyrocketing.
And this is one of the largest construction projects in Tennessee history."

Kardile emphasized the uranium processing facility is estimated to cost $10.3 billion and will not be complete in 2031. Initially, the project was expected to cost $6.5 billion and be finished by this year.

Kardile added her group is hesitant about Trump's statement expressing his intention to initiate nuclear arms reduction negotiations with China and Russia. The future of the U.S. nuclear weapons program remains uncertain as a result.

"Who knows if reduction talks will happen or how successful they'll be, especially with some other energy initiatives that he supports, such as discrediting climate change, promoting fossil fuels and drilling," Kardile outlined. "It doesn't seem like the administration will take many initiatives to protect the environment."

Kardile argued it is crucial for Tennesseans to push for greater accountability from the Department of Energy on the rising cost of Y-12 and collaborate with lawmakers to find the best path to allocate their tax dollars and protect public health.

Ohio is seeing a growing number of solar energy projects, including the first utility-scale installation in Dayton, which will help power a key water treatment facility.

Cities across the state are also working together to expand clean energy access. The five-megawatt solar array in Dayton will be built on a brownfield site, which is also a repurposing project for land that had been burned and has limited use because of contamination.

Robert McCracken, energy manager for the neighboring city of Cincinnati, said it is amazing to be able to produce energy to help with energy resiliency anywhere in Ohio.

"There is a lot of great work happening in the sustainable energy field throughout the state of Ohio," McCracken observed. "That's happening in large cities and small towns."

It is expected to provide 38% of the Miami Water Treatment Plant's electrical power needs and cut consumer energy bills by keeping water rates low. The City of Dayton serves as the principal water source for an estimated 1.5 million people in southwest Ohio.

McCracken pointed out local governments across Ohio recognize the importance of clean energy and are working collaboratively on solutions.

"It's become ever more important for all of those cities throughout Ohio ... to be working together to figure out how we all can advance the projects that we're working on that can benefit residents and businesses in each of our local communities," McCracken contended.

The project supports Dayton's climate emergency commitment to cutting carbon emissions at city facilities through renewable energy. McCracken emphasized Ohio cities remain dedicated to sustainable solutions, benefiting the environment and local communities.


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