Montana Free Press reporters are reviewing their coverage as 2025 ends and anticipating key topics for 2026.
Montana’s 2025 legislature tackled critical issues like exempt wells and responded to the Montana Supreme Court’s climate ruling, affirming youth plaintiffs’ rights to a stable climate. This sparked lawsuits, with plaintiffs challenging the Legislature’s environmental law changes as inadequate. Another coalition sued over the failure to revise water policies, affecting senior water-right holders. The suit argues lawmakers didn’t address a loophole allowing groundwater overuse by developers.
In other major Montana news, a lawsuit aims to protect instream flows in fisheries facing record-low streamflows. A unique enforcement occurred against a golf course’s water use in Shields River Valley. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a corner-crossing case, a decision eagerly watched by hunters. Meanwhile, the Public Service Commission’s year was marked by conflicts while making crucial decisions impacting NorthWestern Energy’s customers.
President Donald Trump swiftly reversed many energy and water quality policies, affecting everything from coal mining to water standards. Key changes in national forest policy included endorsing a land swap in the Crazy Mountains and mass layoffs affecting the Forest Service.
Credit Charlie Lansche
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON IN 2026?
Upcoming issues include the impact of data centers on energy and water. Anticipated is the removal of protections for grizzly bears, influencing wildlife and land management. Weather extremes, such as Bozeman’s recent 61-degree temperatures and Lincoln County’s rainy disasters, serve as stark reminders of climate change’s growing impact.
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