r/MontanaPolitics

I think that we should put out a call for the state minimum wage to be raised to 19 per hour and to say no to data Centers. if any local or state politician doesn’t support these two things they don’t get are vote. Even better we campaign against them.

Hey everyone. I’m a traveling nurse based out of Missoula (lived in Bozeman for years before moving to Missoula last year) and have the (very fortunate) luxury of taking extended time off occasionally between assignments. I’m purposely blocking out the entire month of October because I want to be out there on the ground in Montana volunteering for a Dem campaign. I’ve done some very brief political volunteering in the past, but it’s been a while. I’m not sure if I should focus on one race, maybe focus on voter registration and engagement, or just ask the Montana DNC for guidance. I’m not connected to any organizers and it’s hard to know where to begin.

But I want my efforts to be structured and impactful, as much as they can be anyway. I’m willing to travel and canvass anywhere in Montana.

If anyone has any advice, or experience in this I’d be very grateful for your input.

I've been trying to find info on Chris Beck, but I haven't been able to find much so I thought I'd ask the community. I've volunteered for political candidates before, but I want to make sure he has my values.

Really don't want to start a hate thread of people fighting, but I wanted to know what the community knows about Chris Beck. I figure anyone is better than corrupt Cliff Bentz, but I wanted to see how the community feels about Chris.

I'm surprised this one hasn't been posted yet.

If you have any thoughts on how you would like to see MT's energy produced and used in the future, this is the time and place to speak up.

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There is an energy conference (?) in Miles City yesterday and today. My county commissioner went and we talked briefly about it last night, it sounds like NWE is there advocating for data centers.

He says all the power companies in MT are requiring the data centers to provide their own power and pay for all expenses and that the water system is “a closed loop now.”

He also has a new understanding of how important data centers are now, not because of Google (?) but Amazon and banking (??).

To me, it sounds like the energy companies have a solid PR machine that can convince the right-wing boomers who still make the majority of decisions in rural Montana. However, NWE released its 2026 Integrated Resource Plan that goes over some of these details and it’s possible there’s some new information in it but godammit, there’s a lot of technical information and I just don’t fully understand what I’m reading.

Does anyone have insight here? Is it possible that the energy companies have developed a way to host data centers that 1. Won’t raise consumer rates, 2. Will replace the water they use *at the appropriate temperature* 3. Won’t be obsolete in 10 years?

I am all for a blanket “fuck you” to data centers. It’s time for rural Montana to raise the drawbridge and take care of our problems without relying on corporations that can and will screw us over as soon as it’s convenient. But I’m afraid the mainstream thought believes in progress and innovation and $$$$, even if it largely goes into someone else’s pockets.

So I‘d like some solid arguments against their new method of convincing our local lawmakers!

So I see Shitty is suing an ammunition company for an alleged defective product. Isn't this the same people who advocate denying people the ability to sue for damages and less corporate responsibility? Refering to the SCOTUS decision as of 6/25/26. Have I misunderstood or gotten the facts skewed? Asking for a friend. 🤨

Throughout the West corner crossing is a hot button issue. And not to mince words, it's because moneyed interests are trying to block the public from accessing publicly owned lands. Whether it's because of the financial gain they receive from controlling access or because they feel they have a "right" to it, who knows.

The argument for corner crossing to be illegal largely falls on trespassing and damage to private property. In my view, both of these are legitimate in some form. You really can't corner cross, particularly with a game animal, without in some way trespassing onto private land and quite possibly damaging the fence. So, make the legal crossing bigger and remove future disputes.

At every intersection of private and public land that would result in a corner crossing the state of Montana, and all other states this is an issue, should exercise its power of Eminent Domain and condemn/purchase a 25 square foot right triangle section from both private sections of land. A corridor of public land 10 feet wide would then be present, allowing for access to the public lands without any dangers of trespassing or property damage.

In almost all cases, the 25 square foot section of land has nearly zero intrinsic financial value, and the value of the remaining land would not be damaged with its removal. The section is comprised of possibly useable land for crops or livestock but in reality almost no one plants that close to the fence let alone a corner or have livestock using a corner to get enough food to survive. The only significant value it has is to deny the public the use of publically owned lands for the landowners' financial or personal gain. Assuming a higher than average value of $10,000 per acre for ranch land, the cost for 25 square feet would be less than $6. Or approximately less than $50,000 for all potential corner crossing intersections across the state, >4,000 x 2.

Montana and its counties, through it's constitution has the power of eminent domain. In the published ["Eminent Domain in Montana"](https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Publications/Environmental/2012-eminent-domain.pdf) handbook, published in 2001 and revised in 2007 and 2012, the use of Eminent Domain is discussed. In the handbook on page 6, the use of Eminent Domain for "county recreational and cultural purposes" is listed. The use of public lands by the public is a recreational and cultural purpose. The benefit to the general public from the exercise of eminent domain on the corners of private property greatly outweighs the legitimate harm done to the land owners.

This isn't a new concept even if it has generally not taken center stage around corner crossing disputes. It really shouldn't be necessary given the Unlawful Enclosure Act and other precedents. The public should not need to compensate land owners to secure access. However, with how Lieutenant Governor Juras has stated corner crossing to be illegal and other stances from the executive branch in Montana corner crossing will not be resolved quickly or decisively for a long time or guaranteed to be in the favor of the public. Local county governments or the Montana legislature can definitively decide this issue for the public.

Is there a reason why we should not pressure our local county governments to resolve corner crossing and securing long term non revocable access to public lands through the use of eminent domain? Plus, having a 10 foot wide corridor to traverse with a possible gate makes life so much easier.