The SHIELD Act is based on a model statute @ma_franks wrote over a decade ago. She and her colleagues have been fighting for this for a long time. For more context, here's a story I wrote last year:

Here is my previous thread about the story:.

You can read about the case and the many environmental, economic, and political consequences of luxury development in Montana in my latest longform investigation published in Mountain Gazette. Copies are available at or @mcnallyjackson in New York.

My reporting found the evidence of pollution highly credible despite the club's repeated attempts to discredit it. I will publish a follow-up article online when there is a verdict to report. (Image is a letter from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard supporting the lawsuit.)

UPDATE to my Yellowstone Club feature in Mountain Gazette 201. A jury trial has been scheduled for Feb 3, 2026, in a Clean Water Act lawsuit brought by Bozeman-based Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, alleging that the YC is polluting the Gallatin River. 🧵

Very cool to see Mountain Gazette and other thriving print magazines in this @nytimes @JohnBranchNYT piece. I hear so many people saying long-form journalism is dying. It's not. It's just leaving the internet.

RT @nyu_ajo: A great thread — and an investigative article we can’t wait to read in print! — from AJO alum @ari_schneider on the @Yellowsto….

Inspiring to see how much work Natalie has put into this book over the past few years. I can't wait to read it.

Thanks @skiingrogge for the assignment. Travis Andersen took the photos for my story. The cover art is by Chanelle Nibbelink.

6/ The Yellowstone Club says that its development and philanthropy efforts have been a net positive for the region. Many Montanans disagree. I hope you’ll read the whole story in Mountain Gazette 201.

5/ I explain the pollution and its devastating effects in detail in my latest feature for Mountain Gazette. I also uncover other environmental, economic, and political consequences of luxury development in Big Sky.

4/ In an interview, the club’s managing director, Matt Kidd, said, “Do systems have challenges? Absolutely . things happen, and imperfections are addressed. But there is no pollution happening in the watershed here.” The club declined to share its data from the watershed.

3/ Now, there is evidence suggesting the Yellowstone Club is actively polluting the Gallatin River, a tributary of the Missouri River that is suffering from harmful algae blooms.

2/ YC has been the subject of several environmental scandals. E.g. In '04, it settled with the EPA for $1.8 million after allegedly dumping construction debris in protected wetlands. In '16, a wastewater pond at the club leaked 30 million gallons of effluent into the Gallatin.

I investigated the Yellowstone Club, a private resort in Montana where ultra-wealthy business leaders and celebrities own homes. Last summer, I hiked three miles up the Gallatin River where I found wastewater pouring into the river from the club’s golf course. 🧵