Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC

06/12/2026

Gov. Greg Gianforte and his energy task force want to bring more data centers to Montana, but have not considered the adverse effects of the energy use of these data centers on local communities. “Without significant changes to protect residential ratepayers, Montanans’ rising energy costs are likely to skyrocket," said Maxine Sugarman, an associate attorney in Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies U.S. Department of Energy Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation

06/11/2026

Sentinel Metals' proposed exploratory mining project drew comments from more than a thousand people over a three-week period, most of whom opposed it.

06/11/2026

Coal is not efficient or cheap, and Anne Hedges with the Montana Environmental Information Center stated, "It's not going to solve the energy transition. What this shows me is that there's an acknowledgement by this administration that coal can't compete in an open marketplace."

The announcement targets 10 states for direct investment to revitalize coal, with five additional states, including neighboring Wyoming, set to help supply some of that coal.

06/11/2026

The most WTF moments in NorthWestern Energy’s IRP… IRL.

MEIC’s Katy Spence read through NorthWestern’s 20-year plan for providing electricity to Montana customers. This plan, also known as the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) would lock Montana into the most expensive and polluting energy sources available today.

So what can you do about it? Join MEIC’s webinar today (June 11) at 4:30 pm to learn more about the plan and prepare to speak up at the PSC’s upcoming public meetings. Link in bio.

06/11/2026

👇👇

Billionaires and Silicon Valley tech wonks want to sell the public on the idea that nuclear is going to save our environment, but the opposite is true. Between uranium mining poisoning Indigenous communities and radioactive waste that will remain deadly for hundreds of thousands of years (with no permanent repository to keep it), nuclear is not an answer--it is a giant problem decades in the making.

06/09/2026

Gov. Greg Gianforte says we need to "be prepared" as we look ahead to the 2026 fire season. Maybe if he was less concerned about bringing more data centers into the state, we could think about actually having water to fight the fires. On top of that, more policies to mitigate the effects of longer, hotter fire seasons wouldn't be bad either.

Volunteer departments, often the first to respond to blazes, face recruiting challenges, and federal firefighting agencies are in flux.

06/08/2026

Some things *should* be making a comeback (hello f***y packs and analog watches), but President Trump is trying to revive the coal industry, which has been struggling since 2013. In a time when energy costs are on the rise, President Trump claims that there are no other alternatives. But when there are cleaner, cheaper alternatives such as wind and solar, it appears that coal is so passé.

More than $800 million in public funds would be used to open the first new U.S. coal plants since 2013 and keep 14 struggling facilities operating.

06/08/2026

FREE panel tomorrow in Missoula!⚡️Join Protect Our Winters (POW), MEIC, and other expert panelists as we break down what’s in the latest IRP draft plan from NorthWestern Energy, what it means for Montana communities, and concrete steps you can take to make your voice heard.

NorthWestern Energy recently filed the second draft of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Public Service Commission, a 20-year blueprint that determines what kinds of energy Montana relies on for decades to come. This process will influence everything from household energy costs to carbon emissions and whether Montana doubles down on expensive fossil fuels or invests in cleaner, cheaper energy like wind, solar, and storage.

This event is free and open to the public! Refreshments on us + there will be a Bedrock sandals giveaway! Doors open at 5:30pm, panel starts at 6pm.

When: Tuesday, June 9th
Where: Goodworks Place – 129 W. Alder Street, Missoula, MT 59802
Time: Doors open at 5:30, and the panel kicks off at 6 pm

Learn more here: https://protectourwinters.org/event/irp-panel/