The following is a list of anti-environment bills that MEIC opposed at the 2007 Legislature and their final status at the end of the session:

HIGH PRIORITY!!!

HB 114 (Rep. Alan Olson, R-Roundup): This bill would establish the Montana Transmission Authority, a transmission and pipeline authority for Montana. MEIC Position: OPPOSE.

• Bill tabled in (S) Finance and Claims committee 4/13/07.
  

HB 405 (Rep. Michael Lange, R-Billings): This bill would expand natural resource development for low-cost energy. MEIC Position: STRONGLY OPPOSE.

This bill is a major assault on Montana’s most basic environmental laws. It would exempt “clean” energy development from the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), the Major Facility Siting Act (MFSA), and any local law or regulation seen as “unnecessarily restrictive” — but does not specify who would make that determination. The bill’s definition of “clean” could include any electrical generation facility other than nuclear. (Not only would coal gasification be considered clean, but all forms of traditional coal combustion would qualify, despite their enormous environmental impact.) The bill also endeavors to strip citizens of their legal rights, by making it far more difficult to access the courts. In a blatant violation of separation of powers, the bill also seeks to deprive state courts of the jurisdiction to even hear cases that could interfere with energy development. HB 405 may be the most anti-environment bill of the session. It cannot be “fixed” with amendments. It should be rejected quickly and cleanly. SEE FACT SHEET ON HB 405.

• Bill tabled in (S) Natural Resources and Energy; Motion to place on second reading failed 24-26 on 4/16/07.

HB 271 (Rep. Walter McNutt, R-Sidney): This bill would revise the membership of the board of environmental review to include a economic development person from the Governor’s office and a member of a regulated industry. MEIC position: OPPOSE.

• Bill tabled in (S) Natural Resources and Energy

HB 276 (Rep. Walter McNutt, R-Sidney): This bill would revise the rulemaking authority of the Board of Environmental Review to prohibit it from considering any subject that has already been considered by the legislature. MEIC position: OPPOSE.

• Bill tabled in (S) Natural Resources and Energy

HB 610 (Rep. Jim Keane, D-Butte). This bill would be the final blow to MEPA. It would prohibit any lawsuits under MEPA, thus removing any consequences for agencies that fail to comply with MEPA. HB 610 wholly and fundamentally shifts the purpose of MEPA from a process that informs the public and decision makers about the impacts of state agency actions to one that only helps the legislature decide if environmental laws are working. MEPA is about giving the public a voice in the decision-making process. But HB 610 eliminates all references to MEPA being used for decision making. HB 610 also eliminates the incentive for agencies to provide the public with adequate information about the impacts a project will have on cultural resources, public health, the economy and the environment. Many projects have been improved as a result of public involvement and thorough analysis under MEPA. MEIC position: STRONGLY OPPOSE.

• Bill tabled in (S) Judiciary 04/10/2007; (S) Taken from Committee; Placed on 2nd Reading; (S) 2nd Reading Indefinitely Postponed 26-24 on 04/20/2007.

HB 763 (Rep. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip) Reverse Montana’s existing ban on the disposal of radioactive waste, if the material comes from the mining or processing of uranium or thorium. The language being changed by this bill was enacted as part of I-84, a citizens initiative that passed in 1980.

• Bill tabled in (S) Natural Resources and Energy