Even the coal industry isn’t betting big on its future… At less than a penny per ton, the U.S. Department of the Interior rejected the only bid from Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) to mine 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana's Powder River Basin.

More data centers are coming to Butte. How can we ensure the community and its resources are prioritized over corporate profits? Join us tomorrow, Oct. 16, at the Montana Tech Copper Lounge at 5:30pm for a community conversation on data center development, energy bills, public engagement, & more.

⚡Join this webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 4:30pm on how the future of clean, affordable, and reliable energy is built on improved transmission and large, coordinated energy markets. More info at meic.org/transmission...

Can Montana Grow Without Losing What We Love? MEIC’s Sustainable Communities Director, Laura Collins, explains how Montana’s patterns of growth threaten our landscapes, communities, wildlife & way of life. We can chart a better path by planning for growth that respects the environment & our future.

It’s Earth Gives Day! 🌎 This day of giving highlights nonprofits driving environmental progress to protect our planet's future. Today, the first 10 donations to MEIC of $100 or more will be matched by Earth Gives! 🌱 Visit our page to show your support for MEIC: www.earthgives.org/organization...

The numbers don’t lie. Coal. Is. Expensive. “West Virginia is awash in coal, natural gas and oil, making it the fifth-leading producer of energy in the United States. Yet the state’s electricity costs have risen much faster than the national average."

“The Yellowstone River should not be a dumping ground for toxic waste, and DEQ has been turning a blind eye for years,” MEIC's Anne Hedges said. After years of allowing CHS Refinery in Laurel to discharge arsenic & other pollutants into our waters, Montana DEQ is proposing a measly $100,000 fine.

"They shouldn’t raise our energy prices or damage property values. Our community shouldn’t sacrifice water quality or quantity. We shouldn’t compete for power with data centers during winter storms that strain grid reliability. I want our community to gain rather than lose in this deal.”

MEIC joined Earth Gives 2025 🌎 This nationwide campaign supports nonprofits advancing environmental, climate, wildlife & renewable energy solutions. ⚡ Donating through Earth Gives supports MEIC's work to accelerate Montana’s clean energy future. Visit our page: www.earthgives.org/organization...

The Trump administration is hell-bent on propping up one of America’s oldest, dirtiest, and most expensive power sources. They’re expanding coal mining on public lands by up to 31 times the current operations and delaying pollution safeguards while endangering communities and our planet.

The plant will emit 25 million tons of GHG into Montana's atmosphere, yet DEQ’s environmental assessment downplays impacts of this significant increase in pollution. This ignores the harm to the neighbors in Laurel who have to live with this polluting plant on the banks of the Yellowstone River.

Because MT DEQ refuses to present an honest analysis of the climate impacts of the methane gas plant near Laurel (again), we are challenging its inadequate review (again). “We hate doing the same thing again, but if DEQ is not going to do its job we’re left with no choice,” said Anne Hedges, MEIC.

“Once again, DEQ ignored Montanans’ constitutional right to a stable climate when it failed to disclose the impact of a whopping 25 million tons of greenhouse gases from NorthWestern Energy’s large methane gas plant along the Yellowstone River,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the MEIC.

While EPA's data ranks the Colstrip power plant in Montana as the 10th highest emitter of CO2, satellite and aircraft monitoring show it actually ranks 5th when running at full capacity.

Join us for a panel discussion during Missoula's Climate Solutions Week on Monday, 9/29 at 5:30pm⚡ MEIC, Rep. Shelly Fyant & Honor the Earth will discuss the false promises & impacts of nuclear energy & why it's not the climate solution we need right now. More here: tockify.com/climatesmart...

Nuclear generation is too expensive, too risky, and too slow to develop to meet our energy needs. Nuclear is failing, and AI can’t rescue it. Read more from Amory Lovins in Utility Dive: www.utilitydive.com/.../nuclear-...

Anne Hedges, MEIC executive director, on data centers coming to Montana ⬇️

In this Substack article from The Land Desk, Jonathan P. Thompson writes about how data centers are colonizing the West's power grids, upending the energy transition, and placing the financial burden on utility customers. @landdesk.bsky.social Read it here: www.landdesk.org/.../data-cen....

Raise a glass to clean water! 🙌💧 In an ongoing battle to defend Montana waters against Canadian coal mining pollution, the Montana DEQ denied a petition from Lincoln County Commissioners that would have doubled the amount of allowable selenium pollution in Lake Koocanusa.

MEIC will be at Sunday Streets Missoula on Sept. 7! ⁠ ⁠ This event encourages us to rethink one of our largest public spaces - our streets. By temporarily closing the streets to cars, we can experience how our communities can be more livable & build support for broader transportation choices.⁠

Protect Montana's Waters from Toxic Coal Pollution! ➡️ We need you to ask MT DEQ to stay strong in its defense of the selenium standard that protects aquatic life, Montana’s world-class fishery, and communities and Tribes from Canadian mine pollution. 📢 Comment by Aug. 13: meic.org/bill-tracker...

The U.S. Department of the Interior approved an expansion of the Rosebud coal strip mine in Montana, the sole source of coal for the highly polluting Colstrip power plant. This expansion will further jeopardize water, wildlife & the climate, while driving up electricity costs with expensive coal.

"And while our congressmen hide behind press releases hyping this new law, keep in mind that it will result in not only lost and destroyed public lands, but higher energy bills, increased wildfires, increased drought, more flash floods, and more intense heat waves.” dailymontanan.com/2025/07/22/m...

“Trump is illegally delaying clean air laws from his desk because polluters make more money when they just dump their toxic chemicals in our air,” said Patrice Simms, vice president of litigation at Earthjustice’s Healthy Communities program. www.eenews.net/articles/tru...

We need smarter decisions about transmission, and BPA’s decision to join Markets+ instead of a day-ahead market for the West developed by the California Independent System Operator is not one of them. www.utilitydive.com/news/bonnevi...

Have you seen the Clark Fork River that runs throughs Missoula lately? A bloom of algae is painting the river green. Montana's rivers are prone to algal blooms due to a number of factors. Low water flow and increased nutrients can spark growth of different kinds of algae, with a range of impacts. 👇

"To say that keeping information from the public is necessary for a governor to satisfy his constitutional obligations is just silly. We’ve had 50 years of governors [operating] under this constitutional provision of right to know abiding by it.” montanafreepress.org/2025/05/19/g...

Renewable energy = energy independence. By harnessing Montana's clean energy potential, we have a chance to lower energy bills, create jobs, and boost the local economy. As Karen Kirk stresses, it’s time for MT leaders to step up and embrace this opportunity. flatheadbeacon.com/2025/05/17/m...

As wind development comes to Montana, “the people who are for it are a lot quieter than those who are against it," says one local official. New from @karinkirk.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/1405202...

As AI usage grows, so does its water footprint. Bloomberg reveals that since 2022, about two-thirds of new data centers have been built in high water-stressed areas, worsening local water shortages. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

"The MATS rule exists for a reason: mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other toxic emissions from coal plants contribute to neurological damage in children, respiratory illness, and thousands of premature deaths in the U.S. every year." missoulacurrent.com/coal-bailout...

MEIC is hiring in Helena! 🌟 We are looking for a part-time Administrative and Development Assistant to support our daily office tasks, membership activities, and other general operations duties. Priority deadline for applications is June 15. Learn more and apply today! meic.org/now-hiring-m...

“They’ll complain about droughts, they’ll complain about wildfires, they will complain about all of the impacts either caused or exacerbated by climate change… but they won’t admit what the problem is & they refuse to do anything about it.” - MEIC's Anne Hedges. insideclimatenews.org/news/2804202...

MEIC is participating in #GreaterHelenaGives, a 24-hour online giving event that brings our community together to support local nonprofits making a real difference. The event goes until 8 pm tonight (May 1). ☀️ Every gift, no matter the size, helps! www.greaterhelenagives.org/.../montana...

Erin Maxness: “Coal is not forever, and to further fund proposals that leave no room for financing into renewables is not investing in a prosperous Montana, and is rather to our detriment.” 💯 www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/let...

3 things you can do to make an impact this week: 🔹 Let DEQ know how the climate crisis is impacting Montanans by April 28 🔹 Take action on bills awaiting Governor's approval 🔹 Participate in upcoming events Learn more and take action through our newsletter: mailchi.mp/meic.org/thi...

Montana deserves better. As Erik Nylund said in his op-ed, “If Sen. Daines really cared about Montana jobs and American energy, he’d be supporting viable energy projects here in Montana and improving our electrical grid instead of worrying about foreign power needs.” www.kulr8.com/news/state/s...

The breadth of the EPA’s intended rollbacks is a punch in the gut. Read the op-ed by Derf Johnson, MEIC deputy director, in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Ground-breaking analysis from RMI proves a reasonably paced phase-out of Colstrip's coal-fired power units to low-cost, carbon-free resources can both ensure reliable power AND save ratepayers $500 M to $1.17 B over the next 30 years! rmi.org/insight/ener...

3 things you can do this week: push back on federal rollbacks, stand up for our courts, and don’t let Montana become a toxic waste dump! Take action and learn more through our newsletter: mailchi.mp/meic.org/thi...

Renewable energy generated more electricity than coal for the first time last year. ⚡️ According to an analysis from clean-energy think tank Ember, in 2024, solar and wind combined produced 17% of U.S. electricity, while coal hit a low of 15%. www.wsj.com/articles/win...

“House Bill 477 would phase out polystyrene (Styrofoam) food containers. HB 477 isn’t just about protecting our trout streams, our pristine landscapes, or even our own health; it’s about innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of Montana’s economy.” missoulian.com/opinion/colu...

Stand up for public workers. Stand up for our communities. Stand up for public services. 📣 Join us this Thursday, March 20, for the Protect Public Services Rally in Helena at noon in the Capitol rotunda. Learn more: tinyurl.com/ProtectPublicServices #montana #montanaevents #mtleg

Transmittal break has wrapped up and the Legislature is back in session. Here are three things you can do this week. Learn more and take action here: mailchi.mp/meic.org/thi...

This week, the EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a reconsideration of the updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). MATS aimed to strengthen air quality protections for the most polluting coal-fired power plants. Read MEIC Executive Director Anne Hedges statement ⤵️

Stand up for public workers. Stand up for our communities. Stand up for public services. 📣🪧 Join us on Thursday, March 20 for the Protect Public Services Rally in Helena at noon in the Capitol rotunda. Learn more: tinyurl.com/ProtectPublicServices

"We're incentivizing data centers to take our power and to not pay much in taxes... [NorthWestern Energy's] claim that this is going to lower everybody's bills is outrageous. This is how our rates rise," said Anne Hedges, MEIC Executive Director. missoulian.com/news/local/b...

"Mining activities almost always impact water resources, and any mining pollution entering Libby Creek will certainly endanger bull trout and any wildlife or humans that rely on clean water," said Deputy Director Derf Johnson. www.kpax.com/news/western...

In a recent op-ed, MEIC’s Climate & Campaigns Organizer, Shannon James, addresses the false promises of nuclear energy in Montana. Read the full story in the Helena Independent Record: helenair.com/opinion/colu...

HB 490 would shield utilities from liability when they cause wildfires, leaving impacted people with little recourse to hold the liable party accountable for loss of property. "This is a handout to utilities at the expense of Montana landowners," Mike Weinheimer said. www.mtpr.org/montana-news...