COLSTRIP, Mont. -- Many landowners in southeastern Montana are displeased with Talen Energy's decision to challenge a cleanup plan for Colstrip's coal ash ponds.

The company, which is part owner of the Colstrip power plants, says the $285 million plan for retired Units 1 and 2 is "grossly excessive." The ponds contain 5.7 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash.

Clint McRae, a Colstrip rancher and member of the grassroots organization Northern Plains Resource Council, said the coal ash has contaminated the region's shallow aquifers and Talen is trying to portray itself as the victim.

"They have a responsibility to the state of Montana and to the public, and specifically the adjacent landowners to clean up their mess," McRae said. "And the ruling that they were going to challenge this was very disappointing, but it has served them well for the last 40 years, and it wasn't surprising that they went down that lane."

McRae supports the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's plan, approved in November. Northern Plains estimates cleaning up the ash pond complex would bring 218 jobs to the region for at least a decade.

But Talen's December challenge delays the plan's implementation, leaving a decision to be made under the administration of newly sworn-in Gov. Greg Gianforte.

In the 1970s when the Colstrip plants were permitted, it was stipulated that the ash ponds would be completely sealed, zero-discharge facilities and closed-loop systems. But four decades later, landowners have discovered the leaking ponds discharge 400,000 gallons of contaminated water per day.

McRae said the DEQ plan is an opportunity to hold Colstrip plant owners responsible.

"The Montana Department of Environmental Quality finally stood up to the company and came out with their recommendation of completely cleaning these things up - lining the ponds, putting the effluent or the dry matter back into these ponds so they would never get into the ground water again," he said.

He said Montanans expect the company to abide by the law and for state agencies to enforce the law, but neither happened while Colstrip ash ponds have leaked. He said that has a big impact on folks in agriculture, who rely on clean water.

"If they can't do a better job than what they did and what they promised us 40 years ago, then these projects shouldn't go forward," McRae said. "And this is a prime example why there is so much resistance to projects like this."

LITCHFIELD, N.H. -- A 63-acre parcel of land along the Merrimack River is becoming part of the New Hampshire Agrarian Commons. The property, known as Normanton Farms, raises chicken, pork and grass-fed beef.

The Commons is a system of hybrid conservation and community land trusts aimed at increasing access to land for sustainable and regenerative farming.

Ian McSweeney, co-founder of Agrarian Commons who lives in New Hampshire, said it is filling a critical need. He noted the average farmer's income can barely cover the property tax, insurance and utility costs on a piece of property in Southern New Hampshire.

"We have an aging population and an aging farmland-ownership population," McSweeney explained. "So, [we have] the ability and need to think about both resilient landscapes and who are the successor farmers."

McSweeney added the Agrarian Commons is focused on chemical-free food production with a greater connection to the community.

At Normanton Farms, he said they'll work to diversify the habitat and build a healthy ecosystem for pollinators. They also plan to partner with the local elementary school to build community gardens, to help kids learn about food and how it's grown.

Steve Normanton, steward of Normanton Farms, said it's an opportunity not only to collaborate with other farmers, but to ensure when he retires, the Commons will find someone else to continue stewardship of the land.

He added since 2009, using regenerative farming techniques like rotating the animals on and off pastures has already built six additional inches of topsoil.

"We've done it in conjunction with no-tilling cover crops into the soil, just for more biomass, more trampling effect," Normanton outlined. "There are so many adaptive management tools that you can use."

He emphasized regenerative tools are especially important for the future of farming and food production. He pointed to the beginning of the pandemic, when many communities saw food flying off the store shelves, and stressed the food supply chain needs to be prepared for such emergencies.

JAMESTOWN, N.D. -- The beef or chicken you buy from the grocery store is often processed by the same small number of companies.

Advocates for farmers and ranchers said it hurts producers and consumers, but they are encouraged by new federal efforts to steer the supply chain to smaller plants.

The Biden administration recently announced sweeping plans to bolster competition among a range of industries, including agriculture. Tied to that is a USDA investment to increase production capacity among non-corporate processing plants.

Donald Rude, a rancher from northeastern North Dakota, said it is hard to make a profit when the markets are dominated by only a handful of operations.

"We're making, say, $1.20, $1.50, and they're selling the meat in store for, say, $6, $7 a pound," Rude explained. "I mean, that's a big gap. And their gobbling up all the profit is not fair to the consumer."

He said the potential to shop their livestock around paves the way for better prices, and less sticker shock for consumers.

The USDA said because of consolidation, federally inspected meatpacking plants have declined by roughly 40% since 1990. Currently, there are only 18 licensed local slaughter plants in North Dakota for ranchers to consider.

Industry groups criticized the federal initiative, saying it will lead to unintended consequences for customers and producers.

Nathan Kroh, scientific information coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Agriculture's meat and poultry inspection program, said the 18 slaughter plants that offer inspections are the first step in getting a rancher's product to the masses.

But he noted the local plants often are overbooked, leaving producers in a bind.

"A lot of our ranchers will actually just sell through the auction market for the larger facilities to take, and then they're at that price," Kroh observed.

That means they have to take what they can get, versus looking for a better price structure on the local scene.

Kroh added the federal rollout includes a new $55 million grant program for plants trying to be certified for inspection status.

North Dakota has more than 70 sites that are currently custom-exempt, meaning the meat they take in can't be sold for retail.

BOISE, Idaho -- Supporters from both sides of the aisle are touting a $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework taking shape in Washington, D.C.

Backers said it will be a boon for rural states such as Idaho, promising to deliver 100% broadband coverage to communities and fix crumbling roads and bridges.

According to a White House fact sheet, it would also invest $52 billion to help communities build resilience to wildfires and floods, through forest management and infrastructure upgrades.

Gina McCarthy, White House national climate advisor, said the need for improvements came into sharp focus during the Northwest's recent heat wave.

"We're talking about building the kind of resilience that we need to build now because we're seeing such extreme heat and drought, as well as wildfires," McCarthy explained. "Wildfires no longer have a season."

McCarthy added nearly all the West is facing some stage of drought, and investing in water storage for the region will be critical as well.

But the infrastructure framework faces criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Liberal members of Congress argued it doesn't invest enough to counter climate change, while conservatives countered 2017 tax cuts shouldn't be undone to pay for it.

McCarthy believes the package would mean long-term changes for rural communities.

"There's been disinvestment in some of the poorest rural areas, and it's time to rebuild those areas and to build the kind of good-paying union jobs that helped us grow the middle class before," McCarthy asserted.

She also wants young people to be part of the solution, helping with the management of forests, so they're less susceptible to wildfires, for instance.

"We want to get a new civilian climate corps started," McCarthy remarked, "So that young people can be out in rural areas and on our public lands getting an understanding of how they can do an apprenticeship with some of the unions and learn new career paths."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently said the Senate may work into the August recess in order to get infrastructure legislation passed.