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Public Participation in Government
The following is a list of bills pertaining to Public Participation in Government that MEIC followed at the 2007
Legislature, and their final status:
HB 271 (Rep. Walter McNutt, R-Sidney): This bill would have revised 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 have revised 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 have been the final blow to the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). It would have prohibited any lawsuits under MEPA, thus removing any consequences for agencies that fail to comply with MEPA. HB 610 wholly and fundamentally shifted 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 decisionmaking process. But HB 610 eliminated all references to MEPA being used for decision making. HB 610 also would have eliminated 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.
HB 728 (Rep. Bill McChesney, D-Miles City): This bill would have allowed DEQ to use outside contractors to write permits. DEQ argued that it simply does not have enough staff or money to keep up with issuing permits. MEIC had serious problems with the bill as introduced. The House Natural Resources Committee heavily amended the bill, and included all of MEIC’s amendments. While the bill was much improved, the basic concept of the bill—contracting out DEQ’s permitting function — was still questionable.
- Bill tabled in (S) Natural Resources and Energy Committee 4/2/07.