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.

The latest Environmental Protection Agency data show over 11 million more people than in earlier estimates have the chemicals known as PFAS in their drinking water.

This brings the total number exposed to toxic so-called forever chemicals to more than 143 million nationwide.

Julia Finch, director of the Sierra Club's Kentucky Chapter, said she hopes the incoming Trump administration protects federal drinking water standards.

She noted that most states don't have state-level drinking water protections in place for PFAS, and are instead dependent on manufacturers' willingness to stop using the chemicals.

"We know that in Kentucky in particular, PFAS aren't regulated," said Finch. "So, we don't have a drinking water standard right now - but we know we have plenty of industrial and commercial users of PFAS that are eliminating the toxic chemicals."

The findings confirm the presence of PFAS compounds at more than 2,300 new locations nationwide.

They come from tests of the nation's drinking water supply conducted as part of the EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, which requires water utilities to test drinking water for 29 different PFAS compounds.

One 2020 study estimates more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS in drinking water. Finch explained that Kentuckians can keep up on the issue as citizen-scientists.

"There's a way for folks to become involved, simply by sampling and testing water," said Finch. "We have a number of groups that will help to tap folks into that process, including Sierra Club."

Exposure to some types of PFAS chemicals have been linked to prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers, as wells as reduced immune system function, and reproductive issues in women - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In April of this year, the EPA classified two compounds - PFOA and PFOS - as hazardous substances. This prompted $9 billion in federal funding to eliminate them in water treatment facilities.

A new scorecard from the Center for Western Priorities points to Wyoming's success as a western state balancing conservation goals and economic growth but the state can still learn from its neighbors.

The 2024 scorecard looks at three categories: land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. Wyoming scored higher than neighboring states Montana, Utah and Idaho in land protection and access but scored low among its neighbors in the other categories.

Rachael Hamby, policy director at the center, said all the western states grapple with similar challenges and may find related solutions.

"This scorecard shows that it's possible -- and even to your advantage as a state -- to protect public lands, to steward natural resources, while growing and diversifying your economy," Hamby contended.

In pro-conservation legislation, Wyoming lawmakers this year formed an outdoor recreation and tourism trust fund and board and they blocked attempts to remove three-year tax exemptions for wind energy. According to the Center for Western Priorities, they also passed rules in continuing efforts to limit federal environmental regulations.

Hamby acknowledged while there is cause for concern regarding the precedent an incoming Trump administration may set, she stressed states have "a really important role to play."

"So many voters in all of these states so overwhelmingly support conservation and that's not lost on elected leaders," Hamby emphasized. "That's not going to just flip because there's a new administration in office."

The 2024 State of the Rockies survey showed for the first time in its 14 years of polling, a majority of Democrats, Independents and Republicans prioritize conservation over energy production.


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Nevada scored high for its well-funded conservation programs and for the state's commitment to public land protections.

A new report by The Center for Western Priorities evaluated eight Western states within three categories - land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth.

The Center's Policy Director Rachael Hamby said Nevada has done a good job of becoming an "assertive leader" as it relates to public land protection and conservation - especially with 67% of the state being made up of public lands, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

She added that Nevada was also the first state Legislature to endorse the global 30X30 Initiative, which is a plan to conserve 30% of nature by 2030 - to avoid what Hamby called a "biodiversity crisis."

"They've made progress towards that goal too, opening a couple new state parks," said Hamby, "and again this is a state doesn't always have as much of a surface area to work with - and this shows that is OK. You can be a conservation leader with your state-level policies in place for the lands that you do manage on behalf of Nevadans."

Hamby said the Silver State has also taken action to protect wildlife, including what she calls a "strong habitat framework" that is a direct result of an executive order signed in 2021 by former Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Nevada also passed a bill in 2021 that requires developers to consult with the Department of Wildlife on their subdivision plans and assess how projects will impact wildlife connectivity.

Nevada didn't have a legislative session in 2024, but it will have one in 2025.

Hamby said despite Nevada being in a good spot, there are still areas for improvement, such as responsible energy development.

Despite Nevada not being a major oil-producing or natural-gas producing state, it currently has no statewide setback requirements for oil and gas wells or any laws or rules on the books to reduce methane emissions.

Hamby said each state can celebrate its wins, but must also get to work where they're lagging.

"So hopefully the scorecard can help with identifying some area for growth in each state," said Hamby, "as policymakers are looking for ideas of what they might be able to do to advance conservation goals."

Hamby added that the positive economic implications of a transition to a clean energy economy will become even more evident in years to come.

Since the passage of The Clean Energy Plan in 2022, Nevada has seen more than 20,000 new jobs across the state.