Madelyn Beck
Reporter, Inside EnergyPhone: 307-766-2928
Email: mbeck@insideenergy.org
Madelyn is from small-town Montana, earning her journalism degree from the University of Montana in Missoula. She worked as a news anchor for Montana Public Radio, reported on the Montana Legislature for the Montana Broadcaster's Association, and reported on cops and crime for KRBD Rainbird Radio in Ketchikan, Alaska. She also has print experience, reporting for the Tioga Tribune in North Dakota, E&E Publishing in Washington, D.C., and the Idaho Mountain Express in Ketchum, Idaho. She enjoys getting outside as much as possible, though is easily distracted by a good book.
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U.S. Senators talked last week about the costs of climate change, and potential costs of doing nothing. Some argued we need to focus efforts on local communities and governments. They’re often paying the price when floods take out roads, wildfires pollute waterways or towns run out of water.
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new $1 billion grant program this week to help communities facing wildfire risks. Grants for wildfire protection planning or outreach can be up to $250,000. Affiliated infrastructure and resilience projects can get grants of up to $10 million.
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Much of the Mountain West is in the midst of a heat wave, but what does that mean for wildfires? The National Interagency Fire Center forecasters say it depends on what happens next. Extreme heat can dry out fuels, starting with grass and brush and then drying out trees. If that’s followed by more hot, windy weather and thunderstorms, that’s a recipe for more wildfires.
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Climate change can make flooding worse in a number of ways, according to Colorado State University researcher Frances Davenport. That includes warmer air carrying more moisture, causing more intense precipitation events. It could also mean more rain falling on snowpacks in higher elevations, causing floods like we saw in Yellowstone National Park.
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The recent flooding around Yellowstone National Park also created challenges for gateway towns like Gardner, Red Lodge and Cooke City in Montana. That includes lost homes and possibly lost livelihoods. For travelers who can no longer access the park through those towns, there’s another Montana entrance: West Yellowstone, the most popular gateway to the park.
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Tampon shortages, plus increasing costs for both tampons and menstrual pads, present growing challenges for those who have periods. Supply chain issues, hiring challenges and inflation all contribute, which will likely be the greatest burden for lower-income people.
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A multi-state project is working to provide electric vehicle charging stations and corridors to scenic areas around the Mountain West. ChargeWest is working with state agencies in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to make this a reality.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has handed abortion decisions to states. That means state supreme courts will likely have to review what abortion rights people have under state constitutions. In the Mountain West, there are already several lawsuits about abortion laws that these state courts have to review. That includes one suit in Idaho and another in Utah, which has led to a temporary stay of that law going into effect.
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State-run psychiatric hospitals have dozens of people coming in and then leaving days, weeks or months later. Surprisingly, most of these facilities in the Mountain West reported having far fewer COVID outbreaks and deaths than other group facilities.