Author: Press Room

AI Regulatory Moratorium Provides Time to Get the Standard Right

16 June 2025
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By Taylor Barkley and Sebastian Griffin, Abundance Institute and Mountain States Policy Center

For states like Washington, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, the 10-year regulatory moratorium on artificial intelligence recently passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The committee’s decision to advance this pause on state-level AI regulations marks a crucial step toward creating the regulatory certainty needed to attract substantial tech investment to our region, diversifying our economies and creating high-paying jobs across the American West.

The Western states stand at a pivotal moment. While Washington has established itself as a tech powerhouse, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana offer untapped potential with their lower costs of living, abundant renewable energy resources, and high quality of life that increasingly attracts talented workers seeking alternatives to coastal tech hubs.

What these states need now is regulatory certainty to attract AI companies looking to expand. The proposed federal moratorium would provide exactly that—a stable, predictable environment where tech firms can invest with confidence, knowing they won’t face a confusing patchwork of conflicting regulations across state lines.

The scale of the emerging regulatory challenge is staggering. More than 1,000 AI-related bills—roughly eight every day—have been introduced across state legislatures in just the first four months of 2025. This uncoordinated flood creates precisely the kind of regulatory uncertainty that drives investment away from emerging tech ecosystems like those developing in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

Measures like New York’s proposed RAISE Act would require qualifying AI labs to hire third-party inspectors under ambiguous rules. If Western states feel compelled to create their own competing requirements, companies would face the burden of navigating different auditors in different states evaluating them on different metrics—directly undermining our region’s attractiveness for new facilities and jobs.

Even basic definitions aren’t consistent across proposed legislation. Terms like “developer,” “high-risk” and “consequential decision” vary widely from bill to bill. This definitional chaos creates legal uncertainty that deters the very investments our Western states need to diversify beyond traditional resource-based economies.

The moratorium provision passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee would create a 10-year window of opportunity for states like Wyoming, Idaho and Montana to develop their tech ecosystems under stable, predictable conditions. This breathing room would allow our states to focus on what really matters for attracting tech investment: workforce development, infrastructure improvements, and business-friendly environments.

Importantly, the moratorium doesn’t block state efforts that remove barriers to innovation, streamline permits, or apply tech-neutral rules equally to AI and non-AI systems. Our states can and should continue creating favorable business environments while maintaining appropriate consumer protections through existing laws.

The pause would also prevent a harmful race among Western states to create competing regulatory regimes, which would fragment our regional market and undermine the collaborative interstate approach needed to compete with established tech hubs.

Critics have spread several misconceptions about the moratorium. First, it wouldn’t leave AI unregulated in our states. Existing laws covering privacy, consumer protection, civil rights, product liability, anti-fraud statutes, and tech-neutral sector rules all continue to apply. The moratorium simply prevents a maze of new, conflicting AI-specific rules.

Second, rather than primarily benefiting Big Tech, the moratorium levels the playing field for emerging tech ecosystems like ours. Without it, established companies gain an insurmountable advantage, while the smaller innovators most likely to consider our states are disadvantaged.

Finally, this isn’t about undermining states’ rights. Our states retain their traditional police powers and can enforce all their generally applicable laws—they just won’t be forced into a counterproductive regulatory arms race that fragments the regional market while Congress works on a coherent national framework.

The AI revolution presents a historic opportunity for economic diversification throughout the American West. Washington can strengthen its position as a tech leader, while Wyoming, Idaho and Montana can establish themselves as attractive alternatives to traditional coastal tech hubs.

With the committee’s approval of the moratorium provision, we’re one step closer to the regulatory certainty that will allow our Western states to focus on building the infrastructure, workforce, and business environment needed to attract AI investment.

While the moratorium still needs to pass additional legislative hurdles, the committee’s approval signals growing recognition that a patchwork of conflicting state regulations would harm American innovation and competitiveness. For Western states looking to build tech economies, this progress toward regulatory certainty couldn’t come at a better time.

If the moratorium becomes law, our Western states will have a decade to develop coordinated regional approaches that showcase our unique advantages—abundant clean energy, affordable living costs, outdoor lifestyle amenities, and a growing tech talent pool. With regulatory certainty as a foundation, we could market the Western states as a unified, innovation-friendly region.

The potential of AI to transform our regional economies is enormous. But that potential can only be realized if companies have the confidence to invest here. The committee-approved moratorium takes us one step closer to providing exactly the stable, predictable environment needed to make the American West a new frontier in artificial intelligence.

Taylor Barkley is Director of Public Policy at Abundance Institute. Sebastian Griffin is the lead researcher for the Junkermier Center for Technology and Innovation at Mountain States Policy Center.

Montana Highlights June 15, 2025

15 June 2025
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The Yankee Doodle Tailings storage pond needs additional capacity to store tailings from the Berkley Pit and the Continental Pit. Without the permit amendment, Montana Resources would run out of tailings storage around 2032. Montana Resources mines copper and molybdenum in Butte.

Sally Schwartz and her sister Cassie have recently opened Dilly Dally Donut Bar. The shop is located between the Frontage Road and Interstate 90 east of the Main Street interchange. The shop will be open Friday through Sunday.

Reynolds Market is celebrating 100 years of service in 2025. The family-owned business has become a community staple in Glendive, Sidney, Baker and Glasgow. Each of the store’s four locations will celebrate the occasion. Frank “F.T.” Reynolds of Dubuque, Iowa, opened the grocery in Glendive in 1925.

Miles City City Council has officially awarded 24 contracts for construction of the city’s new fire hall. The awarded contracts even managed to come in under budget. The complete awarded bid package came to a value of $4,723,789. In addition to the material for the project, which was previously put out to bid with the contract being awarded to Jackson Contracting, the total value of the project comes to $5,309,650.

Weyerhaeuser, which manufactures lumbers and plywood in Kalispell and medium-density fiberboard in Columbia Falls, has completed the Energy Smart Industrial Strategic Energy Management program. When Weyerhaeuser began the program, it set a goal to reach 2% in energy savings per year.  Weyerhaeuser has more than doubled this goal, achieving 4.24% in energy savings.

Fire and Dough is one of the Flathead valley’s newest food trucks. Owner Jacob Gonzalez serves Neapolitan-style pizza at various locations. The pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven at a high temperature with a short cooking time.

Registration is open for the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s Lemonade Day sixth annual Lemonade Day that takes place on Saturday, June 21. Youth in kindergarten through eighth grade can learn about business by launching a lemonade stand.  Participants will engage in a curriculum covering business concepts such as budgeting, marketing, product development, and customer service.

Longtime Great Falls legislator Ed Buttrey has been selected to lead one of the state’s most influential industry groups, the Montana Hospital Association. Buttrey, who has served as a Republican member of the Montana State Legislature since 2011 in both the Senate and House, will take the helm on July 1. The Montana Hospital Association represents more than 80 hospitals and health care facilities statewide.

The owners of Gallatin Valley Mall, soon to be renamed Gallatin Crossing have announced the planned cost of $50 million-plus redevelopment has been divided into phases. The mall completed the demolition of a significant portion of the mall’s east side to make room for a medical pavilion. In 2023, Montana’s first Whole Foods Market opened on the site. The Gallatin Mall Group has revealed the names of eight new retailers. The list includes Arhaus, Lululemon, Pandora, Sephora, Anthropologie, Free People, Lovesac and Madwell. More tenants will be announced later.

The Red Lodge Pea Cannery, located at the northern end of the town, is getting a new lease of life as a center to house art and installations. The location will also house poetry and writing spaces, and a cafe and a bookstore. The building opened in 1911 as the Red Lodge Brewing Company.

Custer County Commissioners have added an assistant county fire warden position to the Custer County Rural Volunteer Fire Department.

3B Bagels is opening soon in Missoula at 403 N. Higgins.

The Bargain Corner, a local thrift store in Missoula has closed. It was located at 200 S. California Street.

Residents and several commissioners voiced opposition recently to having a Montana women’s prison built and operated in Butte. The opponents say the prison would rely on county services and infrastructure without paying property taxes. The Montana Department of Corrections said the prison would create about 100 full-time jobs in Butte.

The Yellowstone Airport has opened its newly constructed terminal. The 10-year, $46 million project completely revamped the airport. The airport sits on the western edge of the world’s first national park.

Data from about 40,000 people was stolen by hackers during a February cyber attack on Lee Enterprises, which owns five newspapers in Montana. The Iowa-based media company said the data breach included first and last names, as well as Social Security numbers.

The 49th Annual Montana Range Days will be held from June 23 to 25 at the Custer County Event Center in Miles City. Since 1977 Montana Range Days became the state’s premier rangelands education event.

Montana’s unemployment rate remained unchanged and near its record low at 2.7 percent in April, continuing the historic 46 consecutive months of unemployment at or below 3.4 percent and seven consecutive months below three percent. Montana has the third lowest unemployment rate in the nation, behind South Dakota and North Dakota.

Duties placed on Canadian lumber entering the U.S. could eventually help Northwest Montana markets. There’s a misconception that the recent tariffs against Canadian goods extend to lumber products. The U.S.-Canada lumber market is governed under a separate and oft disputed softwood agreement that places duties on Canadian lumber. The duties are supposed to keep Canadians from dumping subsidized lumber onto U.S. markets. 

The federal government has given green light to a long-delayed expansion of Signal Peak Energy’s Bull Mountain’s coal mine near Billings. The expansion of the underground mine, has been repeatedly delayed by court orders finding that the federal government’s environmental impact statement was inadequate. In 2024, the Bull Mountains mine produced 7 million tons.

Khanthaly’s Success Exhibits in New York

11 June 2025
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From Visit Billings

Most Billings locals know the story of Khanthaly Keutla and her delicious egg rolls. But now, the creator of Montana’s first –ever food truck and Khanthaly’s Egg Rolls, and her family, are being recognized on the national stage, honored as part of New York City’s Path of Liberty exhibit at Freedom Plaza.

Path of Liberty at Freedom Plaza is a self-guided walking tour on Manhattan’s East Side, offering a look at what it means to be American, told through portraits, stunning landscapes and interviews.

Khanthaly, along with her children Tobee Keutla, Khuanmany Foley and Lukas Seely, were selected to be a part of the exhibition by the Path of Liberty crew as they traveled throughout the U.S. asking people what it means to be an American.

Khanthaly is the matriarch of her family, a woman whose journey embodies resilience, love and determination. After arriving in the United Sates as a refuge from Laos, she and her husband, Sisavath, worked tirelessly, taking on various odd jobs such as delivering newspapers and selling canned goods to support their family. She later began distributing egg rolls to local church members –an act of generosity that would later blossom into a thriving food truck and restaurant.

The family’s sacrifice and hard work didn’t go unnoticed by their children. Khanthaly’s oldest son, Tobee Keutla, opened his own restaurant in downtown Billings called Mia’s Wok, which is also featured in the Path of Liberty project. Daughter Khuanmany came to America in the mid 1990s on her own journey to America and opened the Noodle House. And Lukas Seely, the family’s only child born in America, chose a different path as he became the first Laotion American comedian to perform stand-up on national television. Lukas also created one of America’s best comedy festivals, The Big Sky Comedy Festival that takes place every October in Billings at the Alberta Bair.

“I love America. They give you the freedom to do what you want to do. I grew up in Laos – it was totally different; you cannot open your own business” Khanthaly says. “I really like [the] American system. If you want to do something they support you. It’s not easy, it’s really hard, but it pays off.”

In addition to being a restaurateur in Billings, Khanthaly is one of the city’s Tail Guides – a Visit Billings tourism ambassador program in which Billings’ locals share with visitors what they love most about their community and how the prefer to explore their hometown.

Tickets to the Path of Liberty are free of charge and available at www.visitbillings.com/billingsbuddies, where Khanthaly’s full story is told. Also view Khanthaly’s official Trail Guides video at www.visitbillings.com/billingsbuddies.

New Owner for Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream

11 June 2025
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Few foods are as popular in Billings as Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream.

People who have moved away have been heard to lament the loss of access to Wilcoxson’s ice cream. Some regularly order it to be shipped. Parents have been under strict orders to bring a box of Wilcoxson’s Fudge Bars when visiting their college students. Even kids, ever the ice cream fans, have been heard to insist that it be Wilcoxson’s.

No doubt about it – Wilcoxson’s is a beloved Montana institution. So it is understandable that the company’s new major shareholder, Neil Schultz, says he is dedicated to making sure the company remains a Montana company and that he has no plans to change the time-tested recipes or production processes.

News of the business sale was announced a couple weeks ago in the Bozeman Chronicle. Schultz acquired a majority stake in the company from Livingston resident Matt Schaeffer, prior president and company CEO, who has been involved with the ice cream manufacturer for more than 45 years. Schaeffer remains a minority shareholder and will continue an involvement in the company.

Schultz, who is a Billings native now living in Bozeman, told the Chronicle, “Montana is Wilcoxson’s country, and keeping Wilcoxson’s in Montana hands was important to both of us. We’re keeping jobs here in Montana and are excited about creating new opportunities for folks.”

Wilcoxson’s is the largest ice cream manufacturer in Montana and has distributed its products throughout Montana and Wyoming for the past 112 years.

It was founded by Carl Wilcoxson in Livingston in 1912. A manufacturing branch of Wilcoxson’s is located in Billings at 114 N 19th Street, which is where they make Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream Bars, Ice Cream Sandwiches and the Fudge Bar. It’s been in operation since the 50s.

Schultz said he gained his experience in food production and packaging from training in industrial design and working for Juicero, a food manufacturing startup.

Schultz cofounded Altrac, an agricultural company specializing in irrigation and frost protection automation that’s used by growers in the Flathead Valley. Schultz sold the company to Semios, a Canadian AgTech company, in 2021.

Schultz said his vision is to carefully bring Wilcoxson’s into the 21st century, expanding freezer capacity and modernizing distribution, while respecting the company’s rich heritage.

Visser Greenhouses Supply Local Gardeners

11 June 2025
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Many local green houses that sell bedding plants and seedlings for gardens in Yellowstone County are supplied by Visser Greenhouses in Manhattan, which is one of the largest nurseries in the state.

Governor Greg Gianforte joined Montana Department of Agriculture Director Jillian Streit for a tour of Visser Greenhouses, a family-owned nursery that has been supplying Montana retailers with bedding plants for generations.

“Montana businesses like Visser Greenhouses show the impact that family-run operations and value-added agriculture has on our communities, our economy, and the next generation of Montana families,” Governor Gianforte said. “It’s exciting, to see this generational family business grow, expand, and continue its legacy of excellence here in the Gallatin Valley.”

 Opening in 1972 and expanding in 1984, Visser Greenhouses has 50 greenhouses with the largest annual and perennial variety list in Montana.

 During the visit, Gov. Gianforte, Director Streit, and founder and owner Don Visser toured the nursery. Visser Greenhouses supplies flowers to numerous retailers across the state, with partners in over 30 Montana cities.

Producing hundreds of thousands of plants every year, the Visser’s primarily service wholesale customers but each May, invite Montanans to visit the location in Manhattan for retail sales. In 2025 alone, the business grew over 25,000 mums and produced nearly 70,000 hanging baskets.

 “Now we are open for the month of May, all thanks to the support we get from the community—they’re interested in what we do and they’re ready to buy. That’s fueled our growth and what we are able to do,” Jay Visser said, son of Don.

“As we work to strengthen and diversify Montana agriculture, family-run operations like Visser Greenhouses set a powerful example of innovation, entrepreneurship, and success,” Director Streit said. “Their story is exactly what we mean when we talk about adding value to Montana agriculture.”

Addressing alcohol use disorder in the workplace

11 June 2025
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Strategies for employers amid surging consumption

By Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer for UnitedHealthcare’s Commercial Business

Alcohol use has become so deeply woven into our cultural fabric that its consumption often goes unquestioned. But a growing body of research signals a troubling trend: high intensity drinking is up among middle-aged adults, who make up a significant portion of today’s workforce. This demographic shift has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, the former U.S. surgeon general warned about the rising burden of cancer linked to alcohol consumption, and research funded by the National Institutes of Health indicates that 35- to 50-year-olds reported the highest prevalence of binge drinking ever recorded for this age group. In Montana, this pattern is worth noting. According to America’s Health Rankings, nearly 20% of adults report excessive drinking — placing the state among the highest in the nation and highlighting an opportunity for more open conversations around alcohol, health, and prevention.

A growing health and workplace concern

Excessive alcohol consumption is both a personal health issue and a public health crisis with serious implications for employers. Chronic, high-risk drinking has been linked to heart disease, liver failure, mental health challenges, and increased cancer risk. At the same time, other stressors—including economic uncertainty, job pressures, and post-pandemic burnout—are likely fueling higher rates of unhealthy alcohol use. According to the American Psychological Association, 77% of workers reported experiencing work-related stress in the past month, a key contributor to substance misuse.

Employees struggling with alcohol use disorder miss an average of 32 workdays per year, contributing to over 232 million missed workdays annually in the U.S. For Montana employers, addressing this issue is especially important given the state’s higher-than-average rates of excessive drinking. The ripple effect—reduced productivity, increased healthcare costs, and turnover—translates to an estimated $81 billion in annual losses for U.S. businesses.

Recognizing the signs 

Common signs of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in the workplace include employees not meeting deadlines, experiencing memory impairment, or showing distress when alcohol isn’t available. They may have unusual difficulty completing everyday tasks, disappear for no apparent reason or frequently call in sick or show up late. It’s important to note that not all people who struggle with alcohol use will exhibit the same symptoms. These behavioral and physical signs aren’t always connected to alcohol.

Supporting your workforce

To mitigate these challenges, employers can implement strategies to support their workforce.

1. Promote the use of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Actively communicate the availability of counseling services offered through EAPs. These programs, which are generally offered at no cost to employees, offer support for those struggling with alcohol use, including referrals to addiction specialists and treatment programs. 

2. Offer a comprehensive network of providers. Work with a benefit provider that offers an extensive network of healthcare providers specializing in substance use disorders and behavioral health. Providers that offer specialized care can offer personalized care plans, including in-person and virtual treatment options to help employees receive the right level of support tailored to their needs.

3. Facilitate digital health solutions. Offer digital health solutions that provide accessible and flexible support for employees. These can include educational content to help your workforce understand the impact of alcohol consumption and problem drinking, as well as self-screening tests, virtual support groups, telehealth services, and app-based tools to help them access care discreetly and conveniently.

4. Foster a supportive work environment. Training managers to recognize the signs of alcohol use disorder and providing them with resources to support their teams may help create a more supportive and understanding environment. Regularly communicating the availability of resources and support can also reduce stigma and encourage employees to seek help.

By taking proactive steps to address alcohol use in the workplace, employers can help create a supportive and productive environment, reduce the financial burden of alcohol use disorders, and improve overall employee well-being. In Montana, these efforts can make a positive impact on both employees and the broader community.

Prepared for Big Sky Business Journal to run in June

Much Happening on Nuclear Energy Front

11 June 2025
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A lot of policy changes regarding energy are happening very quickly around the world, according to Robert Bryce of Substack.com. They are especially changing in regard to nuclear energy. “The politics and policies around nuclear energy have shifted faster than at any other period in the post-Chernobyl era,” said Bryce.

“Germany, the world’s long-time anti-nuclear poster child, just did a screeching U-turn. Under its new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Germany will cooperate with France and treat nuclear as a “green” power source under EU regulations. The move comes just 25 months after Germany took its last three nuclear plants offline. As one German official said, the move is a ‘sea-change policy shift.’”

The announcement from Berlin came just days after Belgium’s federal parliament voted by a large majority to repeal a 2003 law mandating the phase out of nuclear energy and banning the construction of new reactors.

On May 20, Bryce reported that the Danish government announced it was reconsidering its ban on nuclear power, which has been in place since 1985. The country’s former prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told the Financial Times, “Wind and solar are good as long as you have wind and sunshine. But you have to have a non-fossil base-load and it’s ridiculous to exclude nuclear power.”

On May 13, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (a Democrat) announced a plan to repeal a state law passed by voters in 1982. Healey’s administration is pointing to a recent report by ISO New England, which found that nuclear power can reduce emissions more cheaply than wind and solar.

Further, the move comes as offshore wind, which a few months ago was the darling of East Coast Democrats, is slowly sinking under the weight of market realities and political headwinds, said Bryce.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (a Democrat) signed a bill into law that allows nuclear to count as a “clean” resource to meet the state’s decarbonization mandates. “Polis signed the bill despite his 2019 campaign promise to run the state solely on wind, solar, batteries, and a soupçon of fairy dust.”

Bryce went on to say, “I wrote about the challenges facing the nuclear renaissance in the US and gave five reasons why the US won’t be able to quadruple the size of its reactor fleet by 2050.” He said he stands by that statement. “Nothing about the nuclear comeback will be cheap, quick, or easy. . . . new reactors cost too much, building them takes too long, there are too many reactor designs, and the US has to develop domestic sources of nuclear fuel.”

But it’s also apparent that the politics of nuclear is changing like never before. “Politics leads policy,” said Bryce, “And now, in heavily Democratic states and in European countries where nuclear bans have been in place for decades, politicians are changing their rhetoric and their policies.”

This tectonic shift will gain momentum when the White House releases four executive orders on nuclear power, which sources tell me will be released later this week. The orders will be the most consequential endorsements of nuclear energy by a US president since Dwight Eisenhower delivered his Atoms For Peace speech in 1953.

Bryce said that a draft of the White House release proclaims that the US is losing the race to deploy new reactors and that China has announced plans to:

“Bring 200 new gigawatts of nuclear power online by 2035, at which point its total nuclear output will more than double that of the United States. Further, as American development of new reactor designs has waned, 87% of nuclear reactors installed worldwide since 2017 are based on Russian and Chinese designs. These trends cannot continue. Swift and decisive action is required to jump-start America’s nuclear renaissance and ensure our national and economic security by increasing fuel availability, enabling research and development, and preparing our workforce.”

The order assesses the situation in the US, stating, “Between 1954 and 1978, the United States licensed 135 civilian nuclear reactors at 81 power plants. Since 1978, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized only five new reactors, and of these, only two have been built. It charges applicants by the hour to process license applications, with prolonged timelines that maximize fees, throttling American nuclear power development. The NRC has refused to license new reactors even as significant technological advances promise to make nuclear power safer, cheaper, more adaptable, and more abundant than ever.”

The same order directs the agency to “undertake a wholesale revision of its regulations.”

Mid-year Economic Outlook Seminar

11 June 2025
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The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana has announced the dates for its mid-year economic update.

The program will be held in seven different Montana cities. In Billings the date is August 7, 7:30-8 am at the Northern Hotel. Registration is open at https://www.economicoutlookseminar.com/

Other programs will be held at Helena, Great Falls, Kalispell, Bozeman, Missoula, and Butte.

Speakers will include the new director of BBER, Jeffrey Michael, who has replaced the retiring Pat Barkey. Dr. Michael has decades of experience in regional economic forecasting, public policy analysis, and environmental economics, including work on the economic impacts of the Endangered Species Act, climate change, and regulation on land use, infrastructure, property values and employment growth. Prior to joining BBER, Dr. Michael was director of Public Policy Programs and professor of Public Policy at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, executive director of the Center for Business and Policy Research in the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business, and associate dean and director of the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research at Towson University (MD).

Also presenting will be Todd O’Hair, President and CEO, Montana Chamber of Commerce. O’Hair is a Montana native, from Livingston where his family owns a multi-generational family ranch. Before being named President and CEO of the Montana Chamber, Todd was the Senior Manager of Government Affairs for a major coal mining company, Cloud Peak Energy. While at Cloud Peak, he served on the Montana Chamber of Commerce board of directors and was the chair of the board in 2016-17. Before Cloud Peak Energy, Todd worked in Gov. Judy Martz’s office for four years. He also served as the Natural Resources Policy Advisor for Congressman Rick Hill in Washington, D.C., and later as State Director.

The event is sponsored by First Interstate Bank, Sibanye Stillwater and Northwestern Energy.

Lab-Grown Meat Banned in Montana

11 June 2025
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Governor Greg Gianforte has signed into law HB 401, a bill banning the manufacturing and sale of lab-grown meat in Montana.

“If you’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying a cut of Montana beef, you know there is no substitute,” Gov. Gianforte said. “By signing House Bill 401 into law, I am proud to defend our way of life and the hardworking Montana ranchers who produce the best beef in the world.”

Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, House Bill 401 prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, or distribution of cell-cultured edible product. The bill defines cell-cultured edible product as, “the concept of meat, including but not limited to muscle cells, fat cells, connective tissue, blood, and other components produced via cell culture, rather than from a whole slaughtered animal.”

Starting October 1, any retail food establishment in Montana that manufactures, sells, or distributes cell-cultured edible product is subject to suspension of their license and could be found guilty of a misdemeanor and faced with fines and imprisonment if convicted.

“As Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and someone whose family has been involved in Montana’s meat processing industry for over 80 years, I’m proud Governor Gianforte signed House Bill 401 into law,” Rep. Mitchell said. “Agriculture is our state’s number one industry, and this bill takes a clear stand to protect our ranchers and our food supply. We won’t let synthetic products with misleading labels undercut the hard work of Montana’s farm and ranch families.”

The Montana Farm Bureau Federation praised the signing of the legislation, thanking the governor and legislature for defending and protecting the Montana way of life.

“Montana ranchers grow some of the best meat in the world, we are thrilled consumers in the treasure state will continue to enjoy authentic meat. Thank you to the legislature and Governor Gianforte for supporting ranchers and consumers with this new law,” said Montana Farm Bureau Federation President Cyndi Johnson.

Essential Air Service Uncertain

11 June 2025
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Small communities in Montana dependent on Essential Air Service (EAS) may lose the $300 million those airports have depended upon to fund air service from services such a CapeAir.

Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget issued a letter in May which included the loss of that federal subsidy as one of the cuts that the federal executive branch wants to make in the fiscal year 2026 budget.

“The EAS program funnels taxpayer dollars to airlines to subsidize half-empty flights from airports that are within easy commuting distance from each other, while also failing to effectively provide assistance to most rural air travelers,” the document reads.

Montana has seven airports that receive EAS funding: Butte, West Yellowstone, Glasgow, Glendive, Havre, Sidney and Wolf Point.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Montana had 2.87 million passengers boarding a plane, in 2023. About 2.5 million of those boardings came from airports in Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, and Billings. Bozeman had 1.2 million.

Through the EAS program, Butte and West Yellowstone received about $2.5 million combined in 2023 for SkyWest to operate flights to Denver and Salt Lake City.  West Yellowstone had 8,750 passengers an increase of 19.11% and Butte had slightly more than 16,000 passengers in 2023.

Sidney had 8,000 boardings — a 22% increase more than 2022 — with Wolf Point, Havre and Glasgow each having around 3,000 boardings. Glendive had 2,177 boardings in 2023.