ANNOUNCEMENT:

MEIC is seeking a full-time, permanent energy program director located at its Helena, Montana office.  Read more about the position.

Montana’s energy future is at a crossroads.  Energy conservation and renewable energy alternatives such as wind and solar power need to take priority over new fossil fuel-based power plants that Montana does not need, that increase global warming pollution, and that violate Montanans’ right to a clean and healthful environment. 

Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer has made coal-to-liquids (which also goes under the heading “synfuels”) a central focus of his energy policy and a top priority for his administration.  In the Fall of 2007, all three members of Montana’s congressional delegation joined with an Air Force official in announcing that a $1.3 billion coal-to-liquid fuels refinery  would be located at Malmstrom Air Force Base.  The process has been characterized as a “clean coal” technology with virtually no environmental impact.  But given the sheer magnitude of the proposed facilities, their fundamental dependence on a non-renewable fossil-fuel resource, and the track record of the industry, MEIC is carefully analyzing these claims.

MEIC's Energy Program has to primary components: Energy Policy (including working with citizens, utilities, and policymakers to repair the damage caused by deregulation) and Community Outreach and Education.