Eastern Montana Resource Council

05/11/2026

Join us for the next step of our grassroots organizing community campaign!

The next step of Eastern Montana Resource Council's organizing effort is to have a series of intentional meetings with decision makers, elected leaders, and other community leaders around three of the top themes that came up in our listening campaign. We call these meetings “research actions,” a...

04/06/2026

Over the past few months, EMRC leaders have been sitting down with neighbors across Eastern Montana, but specifically, our Dawson, Custer, and Richland counties. We wanted to hear about folks' lives and communities. What do they care about, what keeps them up at night, and what themes are we seeing across the board? “Community Connections” will be the first public debrief of what we heard in those conversations – and a chance to reflect together on what our community is experiencing and what we should do about it.

Join Eastern Montana Resource Council (EMRC) and Northern Plains for “Community Connections,” a public meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 PM at The Carney Conference Center in the Glendive Medical Center (GMC) (202 Prospect Dr, Glendive, Montana).

Food will be provided!

Join Eastern Montana Resource Council (EMRC) and Northern Plains for “Community Connections,” a public meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 PM at The Carney Conference Center in the Glendive Medical Center (GMC) (202 Prospect Dr, Glendive, Montana). Over the past few months, EMRC leaders have b...

03/13/2026

Come see us at GATE! Sign up to win one of our great raffle prizes, learn how to support Country of Origin Labeling, sign the petition to the PSC to deny the proposed MDU rate increase, and join in our community listening campaign effort to find out what concerns exist in our area!

02/19/2026

Hi, everyone! We wanted to share that we'll be tabling at the Glendive Agri-Trade Expo (GATE) on March 13th and 14th! It will take place at the Eastern Plains Event Center (EPEC) in Glendive.

Tabling involves sitting at a table with information and other materials to educate the public, collect petition signatures, and recruit new members. It's a fun way to meet people in the community and raise awareness for the causes we care about!

We'll table to support Mandatory Country-of-Origin labeling for beef, stop the recently proposed rate hike by Montana-Dakota Utilities, and build interest in our community listening effort. There will also be several compelling presentations made by other community members. Featured topics include wildlife biology, navigating rural emergency services, and virtual fencing!

We're still taking tabling volunteers! It should be a fun time, and it supports some excellent causes, so consider signing up! I'm linking our sign-up form below. Please message us to let us know when you'd like to volunteer. Reach out with any questions, and take care!

Volunteer schedule link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wu-7DUeXKGHmSDMTnNb5Fr4U7TkAoA5ldx3ceVL3Zfk/edit?usp=sharing

*If you can't volunteer with us, please consider donating an item for the raffle we'll have at our table! We appreciate all of you and the support you give.*

GATE Tabling Volunteer Schedule: Friday 3/13 Person 1 Person 2 9 - 11 am Maybe: Debbie Olson Sevier Set up (get there a little early) 11 - 12 pm 12 - 2 pm 2 - 4 pm 4 - 6 pm Melissa Holt Take down Saturday 3/14 Person 1 Person 2 9 - 11...

01/26/2026

Hi everyone!

The Public Service Commission still hasn't set an end date for the public comment period, and they've said that it will be open for a few more months. The Reddi site sometimes causes issues, especially if you try to use it on your phone. You can also email them the same information at this address: [email protected]. Just make sure you include the docket number that we shared in our previous post! Please reach out with any questions.

Send a message to learn more

12/22/2025

Hi Eastern Montana Resource Council members and supporters,

Hi neighbors,
Montana Dakota Utility (MDU) is seeking another rate increase, its third in the past two years. If approved, this 20.2% rate increase would cost the average MDU customer more than $231 a year, draining millions of dollars from eastern Montana communities in utility bills alone. MDU blames inflation for the rate hikes, but while inflation rates continue to drop from their 2022 highs, MDU’s utility prices continue to increase.
Our communities cannot afford this rate increase. MDU should not be allowed to artificially inflate profits at the expense of working people, farmers, ranchers, and businesses. Contact the Public Service Commission (PSC) using the instructions below, and say no to MDU. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Public comment link: https://reddi.mt.gov/.../2Pw41a5yrkaCl4EwckJiIC.../!STANDARD

Docket number: 2025.09.072

Position: Against

Public comment example:
Dear Public Service Commissioners,
I am writing to ask you to deny the electricity rate increase requested by Montana Dakota Utilities. As a residential customer of MDU, this 20.2% rate hike will have a significant impact on my monthly bills. If approved, it would increase my monthly bill by about $19.33. That's more than $231 a year for the average customer. This would be MDU’s third significant rate hike in less than 2 years. It is hard for our budgets to keep up.

Insert a couple of sentences about how the rate increase personally impacts you.
Examples include:
- Higher utility bills each month (Be specific about how you use electricity, and why this increase would impact you).
- Customers will have less money to spend.
- Lots of older commercial buildings and schools are not very energy efficient.

Our communities cannot afford this rate increase. MDU should not be allowed to artificially inflate profits at the expense of working people, farmers, ranchers, and businesses. Please deny docket 2025.09.072.

10/06/2025

Hi, Eastern Montana Resource Council members and supporters! We’re putting together a basket of donations from our area for the Northern Plains Annual Meeting on November 7-8, and need your help!

Donations baskets can be made up of anything and everything that reflects our area of the state — where we live, work, and recreate. This can mean items like hotel vouchers, gift cards to local excursions or guided tours, local food items, small artworks, local handmade items —the sky's the limit!

Can you contribute something?! Donations can be dropped off to Melissa at Badlands Federal Credit Union by October 17 or e-mail her at [email protected] to make other arrangements.

Thank you in advance!

07/08/2025

03/27/2025

Coverage from our event in Terry. Releasing a recording soon.

Property rights lawyer Hertha Lund of Bozeman visited Terry last week to share insights on securing the best deals for landowners negotiating contracts with industrial developers — a timely topic

03/05/2025

Northern Plains and Eastern Montana Resource Council (EMRC) are hosting a seminar with property rights lawyer, Hertha Lund on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 pm. The seminar will be in person in Terry, Montana at the Evelyn Cameron Heritage Center. You can also attend virtually on Zoom.

There is more and more development across Montana today. Whether oil, coal, carbon dioxide, wind, or solar - landowners are at disadvantage when negotiating with large corporations. Corporations have huge teams of lawyers and lots of money, while landowners are often on their own. Hertha will join us to help you understand what questions to ask, how to protect yourself, and how to get the best deal if you do want to sign.

Sign up virtually here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3qkwRM-jT2eeAft_F7d-Ew #/registration