Coming from that part of the country, I get where Lizzie is coming from. If you ranch, say, you feel you know what is the best way to manage your land, and prefer minimal regulation from a distant federal government. She is a traditional conservative - small government, ethos of self-reliance, and safety nets deployed by churches not federal agencies. Arsenic leach from mine tailings thats not really a thing just some myth from a nervous Nellie in DC.
Would be an interesting/scary social experiment if MT, WY, SD, ND, ID seceded and formed some sort of Northwest Republic run on Cheneyish principles. Probably turn extra nightmarish if someone like Kristi Noem took over, though. Noem would toss out constitutional principles and free speech faster than a two dollar meth whore unzips your trousers. Yeah, typed that last sentence and it struck me how much I loathe Kristi.