Renewables continue to be the most cost-effective of all the energy generation technologies, despite a push by the fossil fuel industry to say otherwise. Read the full report here: www.lazard.com/media/kcfcon...

Two mining projects for "critical minerals" that would affect MT waters is being described as "rushed and sneaky." “Critical minerals” is a term largely used by industry to encourage expedited mining under the banner of national security and economic development. tinyurl.com/4jh2mh89

What Montana’s Sheep Creek and Blue Copper mine proposals show about shifting federal reviews

Environmental reviews for the critical minerals projects are advancing under a changing federal landscape.

montanafreepress.org

We're hiring in Helena! 🌱 Join our team as the Administrative and Development Associate. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but we will begin reviewing applications starting on August 15. Learn more on our website and apply today! meic.org/administrati... #montanajobs

An op-ed worth reading! Karen Kirk, who serves on the board of directors for Montanans for Affordable Energy, makes a powerful argument for solar energy in the Billings Gazette!

The proposed 645 mile-long Bridger Pipeline permit was approved without any environmental analysis, despite the fact that it would affect community water sources, health, and the environment. flatheadbeacon.com/2026/07/01/t...

The Bridger Pipeline: Unaddressed Health Risks - Flathead Beacon

On April 30, President Trump issued a presidential authorization for the construction and maintenance of the Bridger Pipeline – a 645-mile crude oil transmission system designed to transport 1,047,000...

flatheadbeacon.com

MEIC's Shannon James digs into the problems with NorthWestern Energy's IRP, a 20-year plan for providing electricity to customers. ➡Tell the PSC that we need NorthWestern to do better on July 21 & July 23 at 6-8 pm in Helena. Written comments deadline is July 28. missoulacurrent.com/climaster-en...

Shameful MT DEQ is allowing the Bridger Pipeline permission to leave out vital info on cost and its route. Their website, we "support and implement measures to conserve [water] and ensure that clean lakes, streams, and rivers remain part of Montana’s natural heritage." 🙄https://tinyurl.com/mes9dx2k

Planned oil pipeline through Montana draws legal challenge

According to the challenge, the Department of Environmental Quality illegally gave a waiver for Bridger Pipeline to omit certain information early on in the siting process and violated public process.

billingsgazette.com

Summer in Montana is a beautiful reminder of what’s at stake. Unfortunately, the threats to our state are rapidly mounting, which is why MEIC’s work matters so much right now. 🌎 Help MEIC continue to defend Montana’s clean and healthful environment at meic.org/donation-form/

Project Cosmo, the 800,000-square-foot data center being built by Meta in Cheyenne, WY, has been a huge headache for the community after the data center contaminated the city's wastewater system resulting in months of cleanup. cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/c...

Cheyenne Won’t Take Data Center Wastewater After Meta Contractor Contaminated System

Cheyenne announced Thursday it's suspended taking wastewater associated with data center systems after a Meta contractor contaminated the city’s…

cowboystatedaily.com

Missoula County is considering an interim pause on data center siting in the county. “Missoula County is the only [one] in Montana with regulations to protect people from air and water pollution as well as noise and vibrations,” MEIC's Anne Hedges said. tinyurl.com/2k8n4bpd

Montana County Seeks Pause on AI Data Centers After Property Owner Withdraws Support - Inside Climate News

After months of community opposition, the proposal for a small data center in Bonner collapsed. Missoula County hopes to rewrite rules addressing environmental impacts before allowing others.

tinyurl.com

John Maclean, son of "A River Runs Through It" author Norman Maclean, said,"The Blackfoot is more precious than gold." It's under threat from an exploratory gold mining project. Given that this is the 50th anniversary of Maclean's book, it's heartbreaking this is happening. lnkd.in/gqvqUUz9

MT is bracing for a hard wildfire season thanks to a # of factors: less snowpack, windier weather& continued drought conditions. To top it all off, firefighting agencies on the local and federal level are stretched thin. tinyurl.com/47k3d47r

Montana Officials Warn of Elevated Wildfire Risk From Increasing Drought, Heat and Wind - Inside Climate News

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

insideclimatenews.org

The PSC has five districts throughout Montana. They have held public meetings in each of these districts in the past to discuss NorthWestern's IRP (a roadmap for energy needs). So, why are they only holding two meetings this time around, both in Helena? dailymontanan.com/2026/06/28/p...

Public Service Commission reduces public meetings on NorthWestern Energy plan • Daily Montanan

Ready to give the Montana Public Service Commission an earful about NorthWestern Energy’s plan to provide electricity for the future?

dailymontanan.com

A new kind of energy source is heating up: enhanced geothermal. Potential is huge, w/ Int. Energy Agency estimating that geothermal "could provide 15% of the world's energy needs by 2050." Geothermal is also readily available, making it a good complement to wind and solar power. tinyurl.com/36ut6c9h

The New ‘Gold Rush’ of Geothermal Energy

nytimes.com

Falcon Copper, a mining company in Deer Lodge, has submitted a proposal to do some exploratory mining on almost 11,000 acres of public land. Currently no public hearing is planned and there's been a rushed comment period that ends July 2. tinyurl.com/mu5e495s

Environmental groups push USFS for more public input on Blue Copper mine proposal

The nearly 11,000-acre Blue Copper proposal from Falcon Copper Corporation would explore for copper, gold, silver, tungsten and other materials.

montanafreepress.org

Starting July 1, MT's electricity bills are set to increase. “It’s outrageous that in the midst of the current affordability crisis, NorthWestern would quietly ratchet up our electricity rates even further,” says MEIC's Nick Fitzmaurice. dailymontanan.com/2026/06/16/n...

NorthWestern Energy bills to increase again • Daily Montanan

Your power bill is slated to go up again if you’re a NorthWestern Energy customer in a quarterly filing made earlier this month.

dailymontanan.com

Despite the best efforts of Pres. Trump and the coal industry to push the false narrative that coal is cheaper and more "beautiful&clean," new data has shown that the U.S. got more power from solar than coal plants last month— without toxic emissions or expensive fuel.https://tinyurl.com/3fpc5c9n

Solar beat coal on the US grid in May — a new milestone

It’s the first time that's happened across an entire month, and it comes despite the Trump administration’s efforts to reinvigorate coal and hamper solar.

tinyurl.com

Coal is not efficient or cheap. MEIC's Anne Hedges: "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." tinyurl.com/ydhzjv5b

Montana left out of $700 million coal investment plan, but industry leaders still celebrate

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.

tinyurl.com

Gov. Gianforte says to "be prepared" looking ahead to the 2026 fire season. Maybe if he was less concerned about bringing data centers in, we could think about having water to fight fires. More policies to mitigate the effects of longer fire seasons wouldn't be bad either. tinyurl.com/mteptxz6

Montana Officials Warn of Elevated Wildfire Risk From Increasing Drought, Heat and Wind - Inside Climate News

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

tinyurl.com

Some things SHOULD make a comeback (fanny packs!), but Pres. Trump is trying to revive the coal industry. He claims that there are no other alternatives, but when there are cleaner, cheaper alternatives, it appears that coal is so passé. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trump announces $800 million plan to prop up the struggling coal industry

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.

washingtonpost.com

MEIC's Anne Hedges puts it succinctly: “What we’re forcing to keep open is coal plants that are truly on their last leg that have not been maintained. It’s like saying you have to continue to drive a car that barely runs.” www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2790937...

Montana energy customers might pay for out-of-state coal extensions

A watchdog organization is warning people in eastern Montana could see their energy bills go up to keep a Michigan coal plant online. The Trump administration...

bignewsnetwork.com

“It’s all risk and no reward for Montana,” sums up the new iteration of Keystone XL, aka Bridger Pipeline. Unlike the past Keystone XL, the majority of the route for the Bridger Pipeline would run through our state, risking our land, water, wildlife & communities. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/bridg...

“It's an environmental disaster waiting to happen in a state that gets a lot of revenue from fishing and agriculture. A majority of the route crosses through Montana, putting land and water at risk,” said MEIC Campaigns & Advocacy Director Shannon James.

Proposed Bridger pipeline would bring crude from Canada through Montana to Wyoming

The Bridger project is a massive oil pipeline project that would come in from Alberta, Canada, into Montana at Phillips County, then go through nine counties before getting to Wyoming.

ktvq.com

Join MEIC and partners on May 19 in Missoula for a panel discussion to learn about the data centers being proposed in Montana, including one in Bonner, what is at stake, and how we can organize to protect our communities and our future. More info here: meic.org/events/misso... #missoulaevents

Save the date: Yellowstone Valley Gives is April 30th - May 1st! ☀ You can be part of the celebration by giving to your favorite nonprofit (which we hope is us!). Visit yellowstonegives.org/ to find out more.

Is the Keystone XL pipeline back? The answer might be worse than you think. The Bridger Pipeline is planning to run through Montana, transporting ~550,000 barrels of crude oil daily with capacity to increase to more than 1 MILLION barrels a day. That's more than Keystone XL ever planned to carry.

Inside Climate News@insideclimatenews.org · 4mo ago

The Keystone XL pipeline was one of the most controversial energy proposals of the century, killed by Obama, revived by Trump and then nixed by Biden. Is it back from the dead again?

Montana Environmental Information Center Panel Discussion: Data Centers Coming to Montana 145 Mill St - Gallatin Gateway Community Center Bozeman, Montana Monday, March 30 5:30 PM meic.org/events/bozem... Data center resources from MEIC: meic.org/data-centers/ About MAE: mtaffordableenergy.org

This Friday in Boulder! Join MEIC & @westernlaw.org for a panel discussion on data center development in Montana (including one in Jefferson County) what's at stake & what we can do to protect our communities. March 27 at 6pm at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. More info: meic.org/events/bould...

NEWS RELEASE: There is no energy emergency. Trump used this false pretense to skip review and public input on expanding a crappy #coal mine. We're suing. @earthjustice.org @meic-official.bsky.social @biologicaldiversity.org @wildearthguardians.bsky.social #GreenSky

Lawsuit challenges Montana’s Bull Mountains Coal Mine expansion, Trump’s sham energy emergency  - Western Environmental Law Center

Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today over its approval of a major expansion of the Bull Mountains Coal Mine in Montana. The U.S. Office of Surface Mining approved the expansion last...

westernlaw.org

MEIC is part of the growing coalition demanding transparency and accountability on data center proposals in Montana. We’re calling on the PSC to require NorthWestern Energy to cough up more information about its secretive deals with data center developers.

Eleven data center developers in talks with NorthWestern, group says • Daily Montanan

Details about NorthWestern Energy’s plans to provide electricity to data centers in Montana still aren’t available to the public.

dailymontanan.com