Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC

09/04/2026

If Bill Gates is concerned about AI, that must warrant a bigger conversation about data centers...

In an hourlong interview, he said his industry was downplaying the risks, which he believes include mass unemployment and bioterrorism.

09/03/2026

MEIC and the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper are planning to sue the EPA over lack of action on Montana's water quality standards.

Derf Johnson, MEIC's Deputy Director, said, “Protection of clean water is a primary responsibility of the EPA, but instead it is letting Montana weaken our water quality standards and degrade our water. It’s no surprise, considering the people in charge, but nonetheless disappointing as clean water is absolutely critical for Montana’s environment and economy.”

09/02/2026

Drinking water in two different Helena schools tested positive for PFAS, according to a news release from Helena Public Schools. While Montana DEQ still has to directly test the well source, it's concerning, especially given that earlier this year, PBS found that Montana fish had enough PFAS in them to merit a consumption ban in some parts of the state.

MEIC has been advocating for stronger PFAS regulations at the EQC, as seen in this video of our Deputy Director, Derf Johnson: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1297459029043533

A singular interior faucet has tested positive for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," at Rossiter Elementary School in Helena.

09/01/2026

The recent heatwave in Europe exposed a major defect in the push to build more nuclear power. Beyond Nuclear's Linda Pentz Gunter explains why nuclear power in a world of increasing heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires could be catastrophic.

Republished with permission from Beyond Nuclear International, find original article here. You would think after the last several weeks we just had, the promoters of nuclear power might be tempering their messages a little. Or even reconsidering their position if they haven’t yet drunk too many ga...

08/28/2026

County Commissioners need to do their jobs, listen to and represent their constituents instead of putting up obstacles," former Montana Legislator (2011-22) Mary McNally wrote in an Op-Ed in the Billings Gazette about what a mess the Broadview data center fight has become.

We couldn't agree more. Read on 👇

Opinion: NWE is again asking the PSC to approve a rate increase of 8.3%, but the actual number could be as high as 24%.

08/27/2026

Stop by the Montana Renewable Energy Association Clean Energy Fair this Saturday! MEIC's Nick Fitzmaurice will be there for a fun morning of Connection, Inspiration, Education, and Action!

The Fair takes place in downtown Great Falls from 9 AM-12 PM. Learn more on their website: https://montanarenewables.org/clean-energy-fair/clean-energy-fair-2026/

08/25/2026

Despite a growing call from both Canadian and U.S. environmental organizations and Tribes for an independent panel review, Glencore, the mining company that has taken over the Fording River coal mine in B.C.'s Elk Valley, is trying to expand their project. Trust in Canada's federal and provincial governments has eroded significantly.

“We are extremely concerned that the actions and comments of the B.C. and Canadian governments indicate they have already decided to find a way to rubber-stamp the huge mine expansion no matter what the cost to the environment and public,” said MEIC's Deputy Director, Derf Johnson.

Selenium levels in waterways on both sides of the border are more than 30 times the established aquatic-life safety thresholds and the cost of cleaning up the pollution has reached $6.4 billion.

A widening coalition of environmental organizations, U.S. tribes and Canadian First Nations is escalating calls for an independent panel to review Glencore’s proposed expansion of the Fording River coal mine in British Columbia’s Elk Valley, arguing that federal and provincial officials have alr...

08/24/2026

It comes as "snow surprise" that western states' low snowpack is due to human-caused warming, which is mainly from the burning of fossil fuels like oil or coal. Marianne Cowherd, a snow scientist at Montana State University, along with other researchers have found that severe lack of snow is now four times more likely to occur, and that snow droughts would happen every 6.8 years instead of every 30 years during preindustrial times. Now more than ever, we need strong state leadership to address climate action.

New MSU study finds clear connection between low snowpack and human-caused climate change.