Arren Kimbel-Sannit

MT GOP approves platform: Total abortion ban, hand-counting ballots, party line
A majority of the delegates repeatedly approved amendments to the platform that steer the party further to the right at a time when it already enjoys near-historic control over the state.

DEQ: Numeric nutrient criteria will remain in effect for now
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is delaying implementation of revised water quality standards following a letter from federal regulators warning that some of the changes violate the U.S. Clean Water Act, state officials said this week.

Montana SupCo reinstates election restrictions ahead of June primary
The court’s ruling restores, for now, sections of House Bill 176 and Senate Bill 169 that end Election Day voter registration in Montana and remove student identification cards from the statutory list of primary voter ID.

EPA stymies Montana effort to overhaul nutrient standards for streams and rivers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that several changes to Montana’s water quality standards passed in the 2021 legislative session do not comply with the federal Clean Water Act.

Group sues EPA over Montana water quality revisions
A Montana environmental group is making good on its warning that it would sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to halt the revision of water quality standards for streams and rivers in the state.

Montana Democrats rally at the 2022 Mansfield Metcalf dinner
The current GOP margin in the state House is 67-33, with 31-19 in the Senate. Democrats didn’t field candidates in 27 state House districts and six Senate districts — a harbinger of things to come, or a reflection of targeted investment in winnable races.

Judge strikes down ballot referral electing Montana SupCo justices by district
A district court judge has voided a legislative ballot referral that would put to the voters the question of whether to elect Montana Supreme Court justices by district, a revival of a similar proposal from the 2011 session that the Montana Supreme Court would go on to strike down a year later.

Former SOS Stapleton considering 2024 presidential run
The former gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Navy officer said this week that, hot on the heels of the release of an album, “Sea Change,” he’s forming a “Testing the Waters” committee to “determine feasibility for becoming a presidential candidate in 2024.”

Jan-Feb recreational pot sales total almost $26 million
Montana’s recreational marijuana industry posted around $13 million in sales between January 31 and February 27, according to the state Department of Revenue, slightly outpacing business from the recreational market’s first month as dispensary owners and other pot businesses work out the kinks.

Congressional update: In eastern Montana, Ballard out, Sweeney in
A new entry and a withdrawal from the Democratic Congressional primary in Montana’s second district has shaken up the budding election in the state’s eastern half.