Matthew Brown

Associated Press
Latest in Home
Firefighters work to put out a blaze after an explosion at Brent Industries, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Toledo, Ohio.
Explosions, Fire Tear Through Industrial Recycling Building in Ohio
August 18, 2026
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Meat Processor Accused of Dumping Animal Blood, Waste Into Nearby Waters
August 18, 2026
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Einride Plans World’s Largest Tesla Semi Deployment
August 18, 2026
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Electric Fleet Vehicle Maker Expands Production Capacity by Nearly 2,000%
August 18, 2026
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More from Matthew Brown
The coal-burning TransAlta power plant is shown near Centralia, Wash., April 29, 2011.
Operations
Trump Announces $700M to Support Struggling Coal Industry
The funding would support 13 existing plans and help build new ones.
June 5, 2026
Workers from the JBS Beef Plant protest across the road from the plant on March 16, 2026 in Greeley, Colo.
Supply Chain
Strike at One of Largest U.S. Meatpacking Plants Will Continue for 3rd Week
The facility is operating at limited capacity and its owner has shifted production elsewhere.
March 27, 2026
Clean up crews remove oil-laden sand on the beach at Refugio State Beach, site of an oil spill, north of Goleta, Calif., May 20, 2015.
Safety
Trump Officials Back Firm in Fight Over California Offshore Oil Drilling After Huge Spill
A fossil fuel company wants to restart an infamous pipeline.
October 17, 2025
The Spring Creek coal mine is seen in an aerial photograph, taken May 28, 2013, near Decker, Mont.
Energy
U.S. Rejects Bid to Lease Coal from Public Lands in Utah as Sales in Western States Fall Flat
Marking the third proposed coal sale from public lands in the West to fall through this month.
October 17, 2025
A haul truck is seen after being loaded with coal by a mechanized shovel at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont.
Energy
Republicans Vote to Roll Back Biden-Era Restrictions on Mining, Drilling in 3 Western States
Advancing the administration's ambitions to expand energy production from public lands.
October 10, 2025
Former Gov. Doug Burgum, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the the Interior Department as Secretary of the Interior, testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
Laws & Regulations
Senate Confirms Doug Burgum as Interior Secretary After Trump Tasked Him to Boost Drilling
His directive from Trump is to make it easier for energy companies to tap fossil fuel resources.
January 31, 2025
The town of Libby, Mont., is seen Feb. 17, 2010.
Safety
Asbestos Victims in Montana Want Buffett's Railroad Company Held Responsible
BNSF had hauled asbestos-tainted vermiculite through Libby, Montana, over decades.
April 9, 2024
Oil platforms are visible through the haze near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, Sept. 16, 2023. Oil companies offered $382 million for drilling leases in the Gulf Wednesday after courts rejected the Biden administration's plans to scale back the sale to protect an endangered whale species.
Energy
Oil Companies Offer $382M for Drilling Rights in Gulf of Mexico
It will be the last offshore sale before 2025.
December 21, 2023
In this March 25, 2016, file photo, the sun sets over the Badger-Two Medicine area near Browning, Mont.
Laws & Regulations
Company Gets $2.6M to Relinquish Oil Lease on Montana Land Sacred to Native Americans
The deal would resolve a decades-long dispute.
September 5, 2023
The Northwestern Energy's Laurel Generating Station, a natural gas-fired power plant, is seen under construction near Laurel, Mont., on March 10, 2016.
Laws & Regulations
Montana Gas Power Plant Can Resume Construction, Judge Rules
Work on the $250 million plant was largely halted in April.
June 12, 2023
The Northwestern Energy's Laurel Generating Station, a natural gas-fired power plant, seen under construction near Laurel, Mont., on April 4, 2016.
Laws & Regulations
Judge Cancels Montana Gas Plant Permit Over Climate Impacts
The $250 million plant would operate for at least 30 years.
April 10, 2023
This 2019 aerial photo provided by ConocoPhillips shows an exploratory drilling camp at the proposed site of the Willow oil project on Alaska's North Slope. President Joe Biden will prevent or limit oil drilling in 16 million acres of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean, an administration official said on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The expected announcement comes as regulators prepare to announce a final decision on the controversial Willow project.
Energy
Biden OKs Major Willow Oil Drilling in Alaska Over Protests
The decision is likely to draw condemnation from environmentalists.
March 13, 2023
Scientists say the species is teetering on the edge of decline and worry that proliferating wind turbines could push them over the brink.
Energy
Wind Energy Boom and Golden Eagles Collide in the U.S. West
The threats of climate change and wind turbine collisions leave golden eagles doubly vulnerable.
August 17, 2022
In this April 4, 2013, file photo, a dragline excavator moves rocks above a coal seam at the Spring Creek Mine in Decker, Mont. A federal judge has reinstated a moratorium on coal leasing from federal lands that was imposed under former President Barack Obama and then scuttled under former President Donald Trump, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022.
Energy
Judge Revives Obama-era Ban on Coal Sales from U.S. Lands
The order marked a major setback to the already struggling coal industry.
August 15, 2022
The line is owned by a Wyoming company that's being sued by federal prosecutors over previous spills in two other states.
Safety
Pipeline Break Spills 45,000 Gallons of Diesel in Wyoming
The fuel spilled into sandy soil on private ranchland.
August 15, 2022