The MT Lowdown is a weekly digest that showcases a more personal side of Montana Free Press’ high-quality reporting while keeping you up to speed on the biggest news impacting Montanans. Want to see the MT Lowdown in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. Sign up For about 20 years, wildlife managers, politicians and wildlife advocates in the Northern Rockies have gone back and forth about what to do about grizzly bears. The heart of that debate centers around who should manage the species: the states or the federal government. So when I got word there would be a press conference this week north of Yellowstone, in the heart of grizzly country, featuring the governors of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho alongside Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, I knew something big was afoot.  Grizzlies in the lower 48 live in two main population hubs — in and around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks — along with a smattering of much smaller subpopulations. The heat of the debate for years has centered around whether grizzlies should be “delisted,” or removed from the Endangered Species Act. They’ve been listed as “threatened” since 1975, and their population has ballooned since. The government twice tried to delist Yellowstone-area bears — in 2007 and 2017 — but both attempts were overturned in federal court.  When I arrived at the press conference Tuesday evening, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials were setting up a makeshift stage. Front and center was a sign that said “Return Management to the States.” As Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and others began speaking, the new move became both more and less clear.  Here’s what went down: Grizzlies will stay on the endangered species list. However, the states — meaning Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, where grizzlies live in the contiguous U.S. — will have a lot more authority over how to manage bears. In Montana there won’t be a hunt, which has long been a flashpoint in delisting debates. But at the time, even FWP Director Christy Clark told me she hadn’t yet seen the actual new rule. The official proposal was published the next morning. It left wildlife advocates with a lot of questions. There will be a “tiered” approach to managing grizzlies — but it relies on written agreements between the states, tribes and the federal government that aren’t yet available. The rule also gives trappers more leeway to accidentally catch grizzlies when targeting other species.  In the simplest terms, when finalized, the new rule would allow state wildlife managers to perform “management actions” for which they previously needed federal permission. State grizzly managers are already at the front lines of managing grizzlies, and advocates of the new model say it won’t actually change much on the ground — state managers will be able to do what they’re already doing, but faster and more efficiently.  The U.S. FWS, in the final days of the Biden administration, released yet another rule that extended protections for grizzlies and made removing those protections more challenging. To get around that, Tuesday’s rule overhauled a specific section of grizzlies’ Endangered Species Act protections. Rules under this subsection, known as 4(d) rules, allow tailor-made management strategies to fit the needs of specific species.  “I think of this as a dress rehearsal for delisting,” Clark said.  However, some conservation groups worry that the lack of federal oversight will translate directly to more dead bears. Managing attorney at the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice, Jenny Harbine, told me this latest rule from the Trump administration was vague and concerning, and read to her a lot like “a backdoor delisting of grizzly bears.” Public comment on the new proposal is open through August 17, with implementation of the final rule to follow. You can read more of our coverage here. — Nick Mott Following the Law ⚖️ Brad Molnar, a Republican from Laurel who was the subject of two months-long workplace misconduct investigations, is challenging Gov. Greg Gianforte’s decision to suspend him from Montana’s utility board for a year. In a filing submitted to Montana District Court Judge Mike Menahan Monday, Molnar referenced the unprecedented nature of his suspension, which is based on Gianforte’s determination that Molnar sexually harassed and retaliated against his coworkers at the Montana Public Service Commission. The filing argues that Molnar’s suspension from his elected, four-year post was based on “untested, out-of-court statements of witnesses Commissioner Molnar was never permitted to confront or cross-examine.” The claim is consistent with the arguments Molnar has made throughout the nearly yearlong saga: that he should be allowed to face and question his accusers and that he has a protected First Amendment right to political speech. Jennifer Fielder, the PSC’s vice president, argued during a 2025 PSC meeting on Molnar’s conduct that his continued presence at the commission threatened to undo a concerted effort to end years of interagency strife, which has generated infighting, turnover and wrongful termination lawsuits. Like Gianforte, Fielder also faulted Molnar for failing to acknowledge and apologize for his conduct. Molnar’s attempt to block the suspension goes on to state that Gianforte’s appointment of a replacement commissioner is likely “imminent,” with a $3.6 billion merger between NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Energy hanging in the balance. The day after Molnar submitted his challenge, nonprofit climate group 350 Montana joined the Montana Farmers Union in a motion to intervene in the matter. Monica Tranel, the attorney representing the two groups in the request, told KTVQ that her clients aren’t taking a position on the investigation that underpinned Molnar’s suspension. Rather, they argue that Molnar should be allowed to participate in the merger deliberations to protect the “integrity of the process.”  Tranel formerly worked for the PSC and the Montana Consumer Counsel, the constitutionally created state agency designed to represent consumers in matters involving monopoly utilities. The filing also argues that it wouldn’t be easy to unwind the merger once it’s acted upon. It’s in ratepayers’ interest to “prevent regulatory chaos” regarding “the most consequential energy transaction Montana has faced since deregulation,” the groups maintain. “It arrives as the electric utility industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence hyperscale data centers, gigawatt-scale interconnection requests, gas-fired firming generation and regional transmission buildout,” the filing reads. “If the Commission proceeds to work session, deliberation, vote or final order under these conditions, Intervenors will suffer irreparable harm.” NorthWestern Energy spokesperson Jo Dee Black wrote in an email to Montana Free Press that procedures for addressing commissioner absences are outlined in state law. Similarly, there are ways to address decisions involving commissioners who did not attend a hearing, she said.  “As an elected body, the Montana Public Service Commission’s membership changes over time through the electoral process, and Montana’s regulatory framework is designed to provide continuity as elected commissioners change.” — Amanda Eggert By the Numbers 🔢 The temperature reported by one Forsyth weather station during last Sunday’s heat wave, which would have surpassed Montana’s 133-year-old temperature record.But the National Weather Service doesn’t consider 118 degrees to be Forsyth’s valid high temperature. In an interview with Q2 News, NWS Billings meteorologist Nick Vertz said the station has historically recorded unusually high temperatures compared with surrounding sites. Forsyth’s airport registered 112 degrees, and other stations registered much closer to 112 than 118.A subsequent NWS event summary lists Forsyth’s high at 112 degrees and identifies 116 degrees at a weather station nine miles east of Ingomar as the heat wave’s highest reliable observation. That reading broke the station’s previous record of 112 and was the third-highest individual temperature observation in Montana history. Miles City’s airport reached 115 degrees, tying for the fourth-highest. The state record remains 117 degrees, set in Glendive in 1893 and matched in Medicine Lake in 1937.  You can read more about the scorcher here. — Jacob Olness Verbatim 💬 “As a university, we have to grapple with what does it mean for someone to be educated in the age of AI. And with our liberal arts and humanities history and core, I actually believe that we’re real well-positioned to answer that question. I think the liberal arts and humanities are going to be more important than ever in the age of AI. AI can answer questions. AI doesn’t have judgment, it doesn’t have discernment, all of the things that the humanities and liberal arts teach us. So I really do believe that what has been our historical strength and identity is really relevant today in a way that I think will become more apparent over time.”  — University of Montana President Jeremiah Shinn during an interview with Montana Free Press this week.   Shinn started his new job as UM’s president July 1. The Montana Board of Regents in April selected Shinn, the former interim president of Boise State University, to replace Seth Bodnar, who vacated the position in February.  Shinn said he is taking time to learn what students and the state need from the university. While most of his time in Montana has been on campus, Shinn said he plans to travel to every corner of the state. You can read more of Shinn’s interview with MTFP here. — Katie Fairbanks  For the Record 📣 Federal trade officials this week recommended an investigation into the impact of lamb imports on domestic ranchers, heeding a decades-old request from American producers, including the Montanans who tend the state’s roughly 180,000 sheep. Ben Lehfeldt, a sheep rancher in Lavina who serves as president of the American Sheep Industry, argued that domestic ranchers face higher costs than overseas mega-producers in Australia and New Zealand.  “It’s been harder and harder to compete,” Lehfeldt told Montana Free Press this week. Imported lamb and mutton have become more common in American grocery stores over the last 25 years, according to the ASI. In 2024, foreign ovine meat made up about three-fourths of American sheep consumption. About 99% of it came from Australia and New Zealand. Lehfeldt argued that those overseas ranchers don’t face the same challenges as American producers, like labor shortages, grazing restrictions, limited processing infrastructure and an undeveloped ovine vaccine industry. To boot, New Zealand has no wolves, foxes, dingoes or snakes.  “All of these little factors add to that production cost of lamb in the U.S.,” Lehfeldt said.  The American sheep industry has been on a long, slow decline. The county’s herd has steadily decreased to less than one-tenth of its size since World War II.  Montana maintains the eighth-largest herd in the country, behind other geographically large states west of the Mississippi River, like Texas, California, Colorado and Wyoming, according to ASI.  The U.S. Trade Representative Office’s recommendation to the U.S. International Trade Commission kicks off a months-long investigation. If the agency finds that imported meat has caused serious injury to American producers, it will recommend tariffs or another remedy to President Donald Trump.  “We’re looking at what would make sure that we can be competitive as American sheep producers in a fair market, not just a free market,” Lehfeldt said.  — Zeke Lloyd Snapshot 📸 Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, center, sits in the courtroom during his trial on July 14, 2026, at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse. Victoria Eavis has been covering the trial this week, and you can learn more from her recaps on Instagram. — Lauren Miller News of the News 📰 Montana Free Press is growing, and we’re growing with a purpose: to give Montanans more original reporting about the places, policies and people shaping our region.That commitment takes another step forward this month with three additions to our newsroom. This week, we are happy — thrilled, even — to welcome reporters Ellis Juhlin and Nick Mott to our expanding environmental coverage team, which includes Mountain Journal, our home for deeply reported journalism about wildlife, conservation and public lands in and around the Greater Yellowstone region. Careful readers and listeners will recognize the bylines. Ellis, who will write mostly about the climate, comes to us after a four-year stint at Montana Public Radio. She is based in Missoula. Nick, who will write about wildlife and the environment, is a longtime freelance journalist and podcast host who has written for publications such as The Atlantic, The Washington Post and High Country News. He will work from Livingston, and his contribution about the management of grizzlies tops this week’s Lowdown. Readers in Billings may also recognize the name Phoebe Tollefson. Phoebe, a longtime reporter for the Billings Gazette who has written some for MTFP, will join MTFP as our first reporter assigned primarily to cover Billings. It’s a position we’ve long wanted to fill as part of our expanding local team, and we couldn’t be happier that Phoebe, a Billings native, is taking up the post. She starts in a few weeks. —  Nick Ehli, Lowdown editor  Highlights ☀️ In other news this week — • Politics reporter Tom Lutey breaks down the latest campaign finance reports for Montana’s federal races. Spoiler alert: If you’re a Democrat other than Sam Forstag, the news isn’t good.  • Montana’s demographics are shifting older. The analysis by Jacob Olness shows that statewide, the number of seniors increased by 36,000 over the last five years, while the number of children declined by about 2,500.  • Readers’ pick: The most clicked story on the MTFP website over the last week was Amanda Eggert’s report about Brad Molnar’s suspension from the Public Service Commission. On Our Radar Nick E. — I don’t recall how I came across J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” as a teenager in the early 1980s. My guess is that I was drawn to the coming-of-age novel because adults didn’t think Holden Caulfield’s ponderings about lost innocence, sex and the absurdity of authority were appropriate for developing minds. There were also lots of “hells,” “damns,” and “bastards,” as I recall, which I undoubtedly also found alluring. It seemed then that Salinger was writing just for me, although with 80 million copies sold, others apparently felt the same. Whatever the case, and regardless of persistent handwringing by parents and school boards, Salinger’s work turns 75 this week. This retrospective in the New York Times is particularly well done. Stephanie — Panzanella is one of my favorite things to make on hot summer days when you don’t want to use your oven. This recipe has become my go-to: ripe tomatoes, toasted bread, fresh basil and a tangy vinaigrette come together into one of those dishes that’s somehow even better than the sum of its parts. If you’re looking for an easy summer dish, this is one that’s worth adding to your rotation.  Zeke — I’m going to watch “The Odyssey” this weekend. Rotten Tomatoes and the Associated Press — two of my favorite websites — are big fans of Christopher Nolan’s most recent release. Ellis — My mom turned 60 this year, and all she wanted for her birthday was to go on her very first backpacking trip. After months of training, and more phone calls than I care to recount, she and I will be embarking on an adventure on the east side of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This training schedule and workout regimen from REI has been our go-to for getting trail-ready. Time to find out if it paid off!  Brad — I’m going to see “The Odyssey” this weekend too (hey, Zeke!), and I’m prepping by listening to some incredibly pretentious rock and/or roll inspired by Homer’s canonical epic. There’s Cream, making a rare argument that Eric Clapton doesn’t (or at least briefly didn’t) deserve to be dashed on the nearest rock, and there’s Steely Dan, telling me they went to Bard without telling me they went to Bard. What am I missing? *Some stories may require a subscription. Subscribe! Lowdown is edited by Nick Ehli. The post ‘A dress rehearsal’ for grizzly delisting appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less