Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC

10/14/2026

AI industry leaders signed on to the "White House Accord on Superintelligence Joint Commitment on Frontier SI Responsibilities," a self-policing agreement that Pres. Trump described as "almost like a constitution." Because we all know self-policing works so well... 🙄

Key AI industry leaders signed onto a pledge Tuesday to self-police development, President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced following a meeting at the White House. The agreement, ca…

10/13/2026

Last year, there were at least 2,400 oil and gas spills across Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. With Pres. Trump's administration pushing for even more drilling on public lands, Montana could be next.

Center for Western Priorities Communications Director Kate Groetzinger says, "We could be building out clean energy. Instead, we’re doubling down on dirty oil and gas production.”

Oil and gas operators reported more than 2,400 spills across Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico in 2025, releasing a combined 5.8 million gallons of liquid, according to the annual Western Oil and Gas Spills Report from the Center for Western Priorities. New Mexico operators reported 1,277 liquid spi...

10/09/2026

Montana officials, along with NorthWestern Energy, are praising Pres. Trump's administration for rolling back emissions standards from fossil fuel-fired power plants, saying that it would save the country millions of dollars. MEIC couldn't disagree more.

Anne Hedges, MEIC's Executive Director, says, “These impacts are costly to people’s health, agricultural operations, wildlife, fisheries, and the state’s economy. It’s irresponsible to roll back extremely modest regulations that provide a reasonable path to reduce the pollution that impacts our climate. Such an action goes against the will of the majority of Montanans and defies common sense."

Montana officials cheered a move by the Trump administration to roll back greenhouse gas emissions requirements for U.S. power plants, while environmental groups decried the change, which has already drawn one legal challenge.Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the new rules, arg...

10/07/2026

You may have heard that MEIC and 18 other environmental and public health organizations are being investigated by certain members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources for what they say is the “outsized influence” we “wield over the federal government, law, and natural resource policy.”

Congress calls MEIC a “radical environmental group” because of our successful track record protecting clean air, clean water, public lands, and our constitutional rights. This Congressional committee doesn’t believe it’s appropriate for organizations such as MEIC to use the Congressionally created fee recovery mechanisms when we have to hold the federal government accountable for breaking the law. While it is extremely rare for MEIC or any other organization to recover attorney fees when a court rules in our favor and finds that the federal government violated the law, it is an important provision that allows the public to protect public health and natural resources when government agencies fail to do so. Environmental organizations such as MEIC are being targeted even though Congress can’t do its most basic function of crafting a budget.

MEIC is more committed than ever to continue fighting for Montana’s air, water and land. We are proud to be part of this group of 19 public health and environmental groups because it means we are doing work that is making a difference, such as pushing back on the wave of data centers threatening our air, water, wildlife, and communities. We will not be intimidated. We will continue to show up for our members, for Montana communities, and for the environment. Together we’re stronger.

For Montana,

Anne Hedges
Executive Director

You may have heard that MEIC and 18 other environmental and public health organizations are being investigated by certain members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources for what they say is the “outsized influence” we “wield over the federal government, law, and natural resource poli...

10/06/2026

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10/03/2026

Missoula folks! Join 350 Montana and Arts Missoula for a Climate Cabaret TONIGHT at Free Cycles! The event goes from 6:30-9:30 PM!

10/02/2026

Can you outrun the sun? ☀️🏃‍♀️⚡

MEIC is joining the Helena Sun Run & Clean Energy Expo this Saturday, October 3rd at Smith Elementary School!

Run, bike or walk the 1-mile, race the 5K, or just come by to explore the Clean Energy Expo. This year's event is raising funds to help bring solar panels to Smith Elementary School.

We're excited to be part of a morning that connects two pretty powerful forms of energy: the kind we generate ourselves and the kind we generate from the sun. See you in the sunshine! ☀️

Register for the race or donate:

The Helena Sun Run is on Saturday October 3, 2026. It includes the following events: 5k Run/Walk and 1 mile Run/Walk.

10/01/2026

Hannah Nikonow, president of Hellgate Hunters and Anglers, makes a strong case to keep the Blue Copper Project front of mind. The 10,800 acre exploratory mining project west of Helena, is closed for comments, but Nikonow says that it's worth it to keep pushing for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) rather than an Environmental Assessment (EA), which would be more comprehensive and have an involved public process.

Montana’s history and landscapes are colored with the remains of historical mining. This industry shaped the state we know today, but we have learned from the scars left behind and worked hard to heal them. There are treasured pieces of public land my family hunts that are littered with the remain...

09/30/2026

Pres. Trump's administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data center projects across public lands in six western states. The administration has directed BLM to identify more lands that could be suitable for the growing number of data center projects, with little to no transparency to the local communities. While Montana is not included in the list, we are vulnerable since our state has about 30 million acres of public land and we're already dealing with large scale data center proposals.

“If there are places where communities think it is appropriate to build data centers, focus on those. The Trump administration needs to stop cutting the public out of public land management. The solution is more public notice and more opportunities for stakeholders to shape projects on the front end," said Aaron Weiss, director of the conservation group Center for Western Priorities.

The data center proposals cover at least 17,600 acres of public lands across six Western states.