The following is a list of bills that promote energy development at the expense of the environment, which MEIC opposed at the 2007 Legislature, and their final status:

HB 114 (Rep. Alan Olson, R-Roundup): This bill would have established 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.

HIGH PRIORITY!!!

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

This bill was 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.