The Blog at MSPC

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.

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling, brought clarity to many of the terms used in the Clean Water Act, but the EPA still needed to engage stakeholders in order to clarify interpretations for agency staff. A preliminary amended rule in September 2023 reflected the decision of the court but it circumvented much needed public commentary.

One of the most future-facing features of this budget allocation is the provision for fire detection cameras powered by Artificial Intelligence, a neat complement to the state’s existing approach of harnessing technology to fight wildfires.

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...

Note: This is a joint Mountain States Policy Center op-ed with William Duncan, a constitutional law fellow at Sutherland Institute. Among...

Certain fuels burn hotter and faster than others, a lesson quickly taught to new firefighters. “It lights up like gasoline” was a phrase...

Ranchers, miners and mineral extractors in Wyoming should be preparing deregulation lists for the incoming Trump administration and new...

The Montana Supreme Court’s questionable decision in Held v. Montana reads more like a policy argument than a finding of law.

Baffling is the only word to describe the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners’ decision earlier this month to sell the 640-acre...

The federal government aptly fills the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the ongoing production of western land management. In the words of...

Working for the Bureau of Land Management as an initial attack firefighter during my summers in college, you would learn pretty fast how...

The results of the 2024 election may blow away the controversy surrounding the proposed Lava Ridge wind energy project. More on that...