Leading Light
A champion of rural electric coops, Bill Patrie is helping communities in North Dakota reclaim their power to address an energy crisis.
News
Making COOL Cool Again
Northern Plains Resource Council leads the way on reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling. By Michael Nelson In 2015 Congress repealed a law mandating country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on beef and pork. In the years following, hundreds of thousands of cattle producers went … Continued
Congress Cancels Locally Developed Land Use Plan Amendment for Powder River Basin
Photo by Jessica Plance. Using the Congressional Review Act, Congress has now tossed aside years of public input from Wyoming ranchers, Tribes, property owners, and recreationists. This week, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to cancel the Buffalo Field Office … Continued
Grassroots Democracy Shines in the West with 2025’s Electoral Victories
At the volunteer canvasser launch in Billings, Montana.
Senate Cancels Locally Developed Land-use Plans That Protected People and Communities in Montana and North Dakota
The vote tosses aside years of consultation the BLM conducted with tribal leaders, ranchers, farmers, and other people whose livelihood and communities are at stake. by Ted Brewer, WORC communications director This week, the Senate used the Congressional Review Act … Continued
One Big Betrayal of a Bill
Loss of healthcare coverage, increased insurance premiums, longer emergency room wait times, smoggy air, higher energy prices, and a deepening hunger crisis are all what we can expect from the budget reconciliation bill. by Michael Nelson and Sarah Hunkins, WORC’s … Continued
45Q Tax Credit: Subsidizing Waste and Fraud Through Carbon Capture
The federal government has created a program that’s ripe for corporate abuse while endangers rural communities on the taxpayer’s dime. By Claire Deuter and Sarah Hunkins Carbon capture and sequestration projects have been proposed throughout the country at an increasing … Continued
West Slope Youth Voice Students Bring Lived Experience and Passion to Lobby the Colorado Legislature
Images from 2025 West Slope Youth Voice lobby day in Denver High school students showed courage and conviction speaking to lawmakers in Denver and proved that young people are the heart of grassroots democracy. This story was adapted from Western … Continued
The Administration’s Fixation on Coal Makes No Sense
With no market demand for coal, why does the BLM want to resume leasing in the Powder River Basin? by Lynne Huskinson, WORC board member The Trump administration has been fixated on resuscitating the coal industry, long in steep decline. … Continued
Organizing for Transformation in Nebraska
Aerial view of Norfolk, Nebraska. Nebraska Organizing Project harnessed the power of grassroots organizing to bring language access, and profound change, to a rural community. This article first appeared in the Western Organizing Review. By Jessica Plance The room was … Continued