Sec. Burgum continues to give oil and gas companies what they want, no matter the cost to the public and rural communities. By Sarah Hunkins, WORC Washington D.C. Representative On June 24, 2026, the Department of the Interior and the … Continued
Residents argue that BLM’s revision to the Biden-era oil and gas rule will once again incentivize producers to leave toxic messes. Members of the Western Organization of Resource Councils condemned a move by the Interior Department to revise the Bureau … Continued
Above: Benziger and Gann picking up the approved petition with ballot language and Mijares’ response, officially beginning the signature-gathering window. Left to right: Montrose County Clerk and Recorder Tressa Guynes, Linda Gann, Phoebe Benziger, and Montrose County Chief Deputy Clerk … Continued
Rapid City People’s Alliance launches, taking on local special interests that are hindering the lives of the working class. Above: RCPA member leaders at the organization’s launch event on January 31. By Ted Brewer, WORC communications director In late 2025, … Continued
New network will “organize and support Native-led civic engagement efforts.” By Deb Love Western Native Voice was established in 2011 by a powerful group of Native women with a vision to nurture and elevate Native leadership, amplify Native voices, and … Continued
Above: WORC board chair Roxa Reller stands near a solar array with her husband, Mark Reller. Longtime Northern Plains Resource Council leader Roxa Reller brings tenacity and vision, and a deep sense of place to WORC’s board chair position. By … Continued
After five decades of shaping grassroots organizing in the West and High Plains, Pat Sweeney is stepping away from WORC but continuing the fight for democracy. By Eric Warren Pat Sweeney, WORC’s founder and long-time director, casts a long shadow … Continued
We have to seize the current opportunity to bring our conservative relatives and neighbors into the fold of our movement. By Barbara Vasquez, WORC board member In the 45 years she and her family have lived, ranched, and farmed in … Continued
A champion of rural electric coops, Bill Patrie is helping communities in North Dakota reclaim their power to address an energy crisis.
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 By Michael Nelson In 2015 Congress repealed a law mandating country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on beef and pork.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