The new ‘Rape of the West’ – Montana Faces $700 Million Federal Push to Sustain Coal Industry

Montana faces a $700 million federal push to sustain coal amid a 50-year environmental conflict.

University of Montana historian K. Ross Toole first warned half a century ago about coal mining’s toll on the Northern Great Plains. That struggle continues as current policies, particularly under the Trump administration, threaten vast undeveloped lands and future resource options.

The administration has gutted the “roadless rule” protecting 58 million acres and promised $700 million in taxpayer funds to support coal while limiting renewable energy investments. Montana’s retiring Senator Steve Daines is seeking to open Wilderness Study Areas—designated the same year Toole published his influential book—to resource exploitation. The Forest Service is engaged in logging, burning, and road-building under the premise of wildfire prevention, though some evidence suggests climate change is a more significant driver. Additionally, a proposed gold mine on the Blackfoot River risks further environmental damage to an area still recovering from past mining pollution.

Senator Daines’s efforts contribute to ongoing pressure on these contested public lands.

This ongoing conflict could resonate deeply in Montana, where the balance between resource development and preservation has long shaped economic and cultural identity. The state’s vast wilderness and reliance on natural resources may amplify the stakes of federal policy shifts, influencing local business and environmental networks alike.

The new ‘Rape of the West’
By George Ochenski, Daily Montanan