The proposed expansion of Signal Peak Energy’s Bull Mountains Mine has also revived scrutiny of a controversial land swap bill that would deprive Musselshell County of tax revenue.

Story and photos by Jake Bolster

ROUNDUP, Mont.—Environmental groups sued Tuesday to halt an expansion of the Bull Mountains Mine, claiming that the “energy emergency” underpinning its revival is nonexistent and that regulators have been aware for decades that underground coal mining would irrevocably damage the area’s water.

New Lawsuit Aims to Halt Expansion of a Montana Coal Mine Blamed for Drying up the Land Above It

After a catastrophic outbreak of bird flu devastated southern elephant seal populations in 2023, scientists are on high alert.

By Kiley Price

Last week, a day that ecologists and virologists in California have feared for years finally arrived.

First Confirmed Cases of Bird Flu in California Elephant Seals Stoke Fear As Virus Surges Worldwide

Last month, a government agency erased climate change from a manual that helps federal and state judges understand complex science in court. The political attack on the nonpartisan publication “should concern us all,” its co-authors warn.

By Liza Gross

Scientists, engineers, lawyers, statisticians and other experts sounded the alarm Monday about the recent decision to remove a chapter on climate science from an influential reference manual designed to help judges understand complex scientific evidence.

Scientists, Engineers and Legal Experts Condemn Partisan Attack on Scientific Reference Manual for Judges