Eric Whitney
Eric Whitney is NPR's Mountain West/Great Plains Bureau Chief, and was the former news director for Montana Public Radio.
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In a blow to the coal industry, a new terminal in the Pacific Northwest was denied approval after opposition from environmental groups and a debate between local Native American tribes.
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Grizzly bears in Yellowstone may soon lose protection from the federal government. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed taking the bears off the endangered species list, saying the population has recovered to a self-sustaining number. Opponents dispute that, in part because they say federal biologists aren't sufficiently accounting for climate change threatening their food sources.
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Almost twice as many people as expected have signed up for Medicaid, and it has saved Montana $3 million so far, according to a progress report. But the program still has critics.
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Mining moves in boom-and-bust cycles. It's busting right now as metals prices are the lowest they've been in years. In states like Montana, that means small mining towns are looking for other options.
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Greg Gianforte, a successful high-tech entrepreneur, is recruiting — not for his company, but for telecommuters to move to rural Montana and bring their high-paying jobs with them.
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Most people buying Obamacare plans next year are likely to face a small increase in the price of monthly premiums, early numbers suggest. A few plans are asking for steep price hikes, but that's rare.
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Montana could soon dial back laws that allowed defaulters to have their professional and driver's licenses revoked after failing to pay back debt.
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There's good news and bad news about electronic medical records. They're now in most doctors' offices — but most doctors still can't easily share them.
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As much as 50,000 gallons of oil has spilled into the Yellowstone River in Montana. Those who live in surrounding cities have been told not to drink tap water. In 2011, more than 60,000 gallons of oil spilled in the same river.
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States have a year to get full funding for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. The governors of Utah, Wyoming and Montana are trying to get the money, but their legislators may derail the efforts.