Victory Roundup While 2021 had its challenges, you helped MEIC achieve many exciting victories for our health and the environment this year. Here are the highlights: •
At the beginning of the year, MEIC brought a successful legal • action to prevent the Trump Administration’s secret science rule, which undermined the use of science in government decisionmaking, from taking effect.
• The Rock Creek Mine, a silver mine proposed on the flanks of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, had its biological analysis declared insufficient by a federal court. • •
•
During the Montana legislative session, you rallied to help us defeat SB 379, NorthWestern Energy’s Billion Dollar Bailout bill, which would have allowed the company to purchase a greater share of the antiquated and expensive Colstrip power plant.
•
You also helped us defeat SB 260, a terrible regulatory takings bill that kept our lobbyists up • at night.
•
We saw an important veto on the electric vehicle tax hike bill, thanks to people contacting Gov. Gianforte.
MEIC brought together most of the remaining 1972 Constitutional Convention delegates when we celebrated their work by giving them our Conservationists of the Year Award, in a safe celebration at the Capitol. In a victory for all Montana nonprofits, Gov. Gianforte also vetoed the bill to force disclosure of membership lists when organizations such as MEIC legally challenge state agencies. A decade-long battle to stop water pollution at the Rosebud coal mine, which provides coal to the Colstrip coal-fired power plant, resulted in a favorable court decision to protect clean water. In addition, an expansion of the Spring Creek coal mine was stopped, sparing our climate from additional carbon pollution. Finally, MEIC is hurtling into the modern era by joining TikTok and distributing content on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other services.