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Articles by Amy Beth Hanson and Matthew Brown

Jury Rules BNSF Contributed to 2 Deaths in Montana Town Exposed to Asbestos

A federal jury said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened. The jury awarded $4 million …

BNSF Says It Didn’t Know About Asbestos That’s Killed Hundreds in Montana Town

BNSF Railway attorneys told a Montana jury that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. …

Neglect Has Hastened Patient Deaths at Montana Psychiatric Hospital, Lawsuit Says

Montana’s state psychiatric hospital has been so poorly run for decades that patients are unsafe and not treated with dignity and respect, which combined with a pattern of understaffing, lack of training and neglect has hastened the deaths of two …

Investigators: Poor Track Conditions Caused Deadly 2021 Montana Amtrak Derailment

Poor track conditions that should have been flagged by a freight railroad company’s inspectors caused the derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana that killed three people and injured 49 others in 2021, federal investigators said in a final report. …

Cleanup Begins After Asphalt Binder Spill into Montana’s Yellowstone River

Globs of asphalt binder that spilled into Montana’s Yellowstone River during a bridge collapse and train derailment could be seen on islands and riverbanks downstream from Yellowstone National Park a week after the spill occurred, witnesses report. Officials with the …

Montana Superfund Town’s Clinic Accused of Submitting False Asbestos Claims

A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick, …

Young Plaintiffs’ Attorney Closes Montana Climate Change Trial with Call for Action

An attorney for 16 young plaintiffs urged a judge Tuesday to strike down as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibits state agencies from considering the environmental effects when it weighs permits allowing the release of greenhouse gases. Attorney Nate Bellinger …

Youth Environmentalists Bring Montana Climate Case to Trial After 12 Years

Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal …

Youth Lawsuit Challenging Montana’s Pro-Fossil Fuel Policies Heading to Trial

A Montana judge said a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case. The upcoming trial in Helena would be the first of …

Judge Cancels Montana Gas Plant Permit Over Climate Impacts

A judge canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas power plant that’s under construction along the Yellowstone River in Montana citing worries over climate change. State District Judge Michael Moses ruled that Montana officials failed to adequately consider …