2025 Legislature and Politics

• Rural America Under the Trump Administration

  We’re keeping tabs on a slew of executive orders and other administrative actions, with an eye toward the rural implications of Trump’s second term. Come here for short reports and other resources to help understand the latest developments.

• UM scientists, students rally to support science funding – ‘This is real’: Montana State protest pushes back against federal science, research cuts

  The University of Montana science programs are top-notch, but they might not be able to offer students the same opportunities without continued national support and funding.

• Impact of national park job cuts coming into focus for Yellowstone National Park

  According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the national parks budget for the entire country is about $4.7 billion; parks reportedly added more than $55 billion to the economy in 2023.

• DOGE set to shut down multiple Montana government offices in effort to reduce federal spending

  According to the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, the Trump administration plans to shut down multiple Social Security offices, Border Patrol facilities, wildlife stations, and other buildings used for federal work across Montana—part of a massive cost-cutting campaign influenced by billionaire Elon Musk.

• Roughly a thousand people rally in Missoula to protect public lands – Rallygoers ‘Stand Up for Science’ at Montana State University as part of nationwide campaign

  “By taking away the people who take care of the land, it’s going to open it up for potentially private sale or turning the land over to the states, which could then lead to private sale, which is not what we’re trying to do,” said Haley Gamertsfelder, co-organizer of the march.

• Trump’s 2.2 billion-gallon dump from California reservoirs just got even uglier. “Trumps publicity stunt.”

  The Washington Post snagged a memo written by an Army Corps of Engineers official who worked on the releases

• ‘Goal is destruction’: Fired Calif. NOAA scientists warn of dire global consequences ‘Still in shock, still grieving’

  Whether it’s the weather updates people get on their apps, the issuing of storm warnings, the protection of plant and animal life, or completing predictive modeling for multibillion-dollar industries, the financial impacts and threat to life on this planet are “beyond consequential” with every firing, Koller said.

• The Trump administration is trying to fire the ‘backbone’ of wildland firefighting
  Last month’s terminations cut employees who serve critical support roles on fires.
• Former Glacier National Park superintendent: NPS, USFS personnel cuts not sustainable

  Almost three weeks have passed since Elon Musk fired thousands of public land employees, and although problems have started to surface in national parks and forests, they’re only a hint of the full damage that could follow, according to a roundtable discussion.

• Trump slashed the Forest Service and put a timber exec in charge. It could lead to a corporate takeover of public lands Employees warn that recent firings could weaken protections for public lands.

  “When you look at the other executive orders . . . our public lands are f**ked,” Carvajal said.

• DOGE cuts will hobble outdoor recreation in Wyoming, advocates say

  In a state where nearly half the land is public, supporters worry a thriving industry will feel the pain of budget freezes, job losses.

• National Parks Had a Record Year. Trump Officials Appear to Want It Kept Quiet.

  The internal memo, issued Wednesday, said the agency would “not issue a press release or other proactive communications, including social media posts” regarding the numbers. Individual parks could make public visitor numbers if directly asked for them, it said. The data also was posted online.

Montana’s Headwaters Tech Hub

• Introducing QCORE: Explore the Mysteries of Quantum. : A Webinar – 3/11 – Online

  We are excited to introduce Montana State University’s QCORE, a pioneering initiative dedicated to advancing quantum research, technology, and workforce development. As part of Quantum Under the Big Sky, this event will showcase the latest in quantum science, featuring demonstrations, discussions on quantum materials research, cryogenics, and opportunities for workforce training in this rapidly evolving field. The event will take place on March 11 at 2 PM (MST).    Join us by registering using the event link here.   More Info

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Montana Department of Commerce’s State Small Business Credit Initiative Program Expands Access to Capital

  “Montana’s small businesses are growing, and with additional funding opportunities on the horizon, more entrepreneurs or small businesses will have the capital they need to take root and thrive,” said Montana Department of Commerce Acting Director Mandy Rambo.

• Join us for the Innovator’s Bootcamp with Perkins Coie in Missoula on April 16!

  This full-day workshop is designed to help Montana startups navigate key legal and funding challenges.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• Missoula’s commercial market has ‘right ingredients,’ but faces headwinds

  However, the city’s commercial real estate sector may be fighting some headwinds due in part to runaway housing costs and job losses, including last-year’s closing of Pyramid Mountain Lumber and Roseburg.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten 3-9-25

  This year’s Fire Within Awards was record-breaking! We honored 56 incredible women, making it our largest event ever, and filled The Newberry with energy and inspiration.

Montana Business

• The Biggest US Banks Have All Backed Out of a Commitment to Reach Net Zero

  In the lead up to the inauguration, the six largest US banks left a voluntary alliance with the UN to reach net zero by 2050. Now, critics are calling for new climate laws.

Housing

• Habitat for Humanity Accepting Applications for Columbia Falls Townhomes

  Located at Sixth Avenue West and Eighth Street West, four townhomes are slated to break ground this spring, bringing a total of 11 homes to be built within the municipality over the next two years

• Secret video: State Farm exec appears to confess to manipulating California insurance rate hikes

  An apparently secretly-recorded video shows a State Farm executive allegedly admitting that the company threatened to cancel policies in California in order to pressure state insurance regulators to agree to its rate hikes.

• The Great American Insurance Retreat: Climate Change, Uninsurable Homes, & The Future Of Real Estate

  From 2017 onward, climate change has driven a surge in extreme weather events — unprecedented wildfires, devastating hurricanes, inland flooding, and derechos — all of which are breaking traditional risk models and sending insurers running for the hills. The result? A growing number of regions where home and commercial insurance is becoming unaffordable, unreliable, or outright unavailable.

TechLink

• Airborne Outfitters Licenses Tech to Collaborate on Drone Detector with U.S. Navy Lab

  TechLink – the authorized technology transfer partner for the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs – helped Evatt and company with both the BARFITE and UAV drone detector licensing deals, at no cost to the company.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• 4 Days Packed Full of Music and Tango! Register for Villarreal Crom Today! – 3/21-24 – Missoula, Montana

  There is an event for everyone: Dancers, musicians, film lovers, foodys, you name it!  https://tangomissoula.com/villarreal-crom

Tell Us Something

• Butte Storytellers Wanted! Plus Alumni Spotlight & Ticket News – Tell Us Something

  This edition of the newsletter features a call for storytellers in Butte for the “Be Careful What You Wish For” event, details on how to join the Tell Us Something Board of Directors or volunteer, an Alumni Spotlight highlighting inspiring storytellers like Andrea Davis (now Mayor of Missoula and USA Today’s Woman of the Year honoree) and Rosie Ayers, whose family needs your help!

Transportation

• The End of Diesel: Europe’s Buses Are Going Fully Electric — Fast – 2,325 BYD Electric Bus Chassis Ordered For Use In India

  Cities across Europe are rapidly moving away from diesel and hybrid models, embracing electric buses for their cost savings, efficiency, and environmental benefits.

• Electric Vehicle industry will persist, experts say, despite Trump cuts

  “There’s not an automaker out there that I have spoken with, or a supplier out there, who said that electrification in some form or fashion isn’t going to be part of the future,” said Todd Cassidy, a managing director at investment firm Brown Gibbons Lang & Company who specializes in the auto market. “It’s just how soon it’s part of the future and how big of a part of the future it’s going to be.”