The Blog at MSPC

We have dozens of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider. These reforms can be acted on even with the challenging budget situations across the states. Here are a couple of our top recommendations for Idaho, Washington and Wyoming lawmakers

The successful plaintiffs in the Held v. Montana climate-change lawsuit are suing again—although it appears they will have to begin with a district judge rather than proceeding directly to the state supreme court.

Governor Little’s most recent effort is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) from his Office of Energy and Mineral Resources to gather the input of the sector and stakeholders to push towards a nuclear future.

What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander, or so the saying goes. But this adage never seems to hold true for the federal land discussion, even when an alliance could benefit both sides of the debate.

Decades of federal forest managers pursuing suppression-focused tactics led to a logjam of unmanaged forests waiting to ignite. Current federal policies barely chip away at the buildup, with only 0.08% of public lands treated with prescribed fire. A rate far below the accumulation of vulnerable fuels on public lands in the mountain states.

The Gem State recently took two important steps demonstrating its commitment to unleashing the potential of nuclear energy.

Washington state’s ban on thin plastic grocery bags is increasing the amount of plastic used by shoppers and overall environmental harm, contrary to the intent of the law.

Idaho is once again in the national spotlight for its willingness to innovate and modernize. The latest effort? Fighting fires from space. During the 2025 Legislative Session, AI cameras for detecting fires became a "hot" topic of discussion.

The proposal was loose in its oversight, not designating the specific parcels of land. This detail was the match to ignite protests against any sale or transfer of federal lands.

AI is not powered by magic or fairy dust. AI is powered by giant data centers crammed full of servers that consume massive quantities of electricity to train the AI models, stream videos, and move information around in milliseconds directly to your fingertips.

When the Supreme Court issues a ruling, whose job is it to enforce it? Everyone who’s taken high school civics can tell you the executive branch enforces the law. But what happens when the law needs to be enforced against the executive branch?

It has been fifty years since the four dams on the Lower Snake River were completed. Originally built to provide transportation, they now create the equivalent of one-third of the electricity generated in Idaho, helping balance the growing amount of wind and solar energy across the Pacific Northwest.

With the stroke of a pen, the future of the Snake River dams is looking better. President Trump issued an Executive Order on June 12 repealing a secretly negotiated memorandum signed by President Biden that was attempting to set the path for the possible breaching of the Snake River dams.

The state of Idaho and the Trump Administration have taken another step towards advancing nuclear energy research.

Among the reopened leasing programs is Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon were present for the signing of these energy orders.

The 2025 Legislative Session is officially over in Montana. Lawmakers in the Treasure State focused on several priorities during their time in Helena, including record income tax relief, reducing business costs with unemployment insurance reform, and clarifying environmental laws in response to court rulings.

Even Mark Twain, the king of idioms, would have trouble understanding the phrases in the Clean Water Act’s  (CWA) waters of the US...

During the 2025 Legislative Session, the Idaho Legislature allocated more money to the Department of Lands , especially to improve fire...

As Idahoans take victory laps on the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project ,  proclaiming that President Trump’s executive order was “the...

We don’t want plastic in the ocean. Most plastic degrades slowly and we have all seen pictures and videos of marine life being harmed by...