By Peter Dudley, Montana Audubon Policy & Conservation Ranching Specialist
Thank you to everyone fighting for clean air, clean water, public lands, and healthy, abundant wildlife. We’re now past the halfway point, and are taking the transmittal break to recollect ourselves so we can come out swinging next week.
While our focus is split across a number of issues, many conservation organizations are squarely focused on protecting the money allocated towards the Habitat Montana program. SB 307 would strip $20 million from Habitat Montana and $12.6 million from state parks, trails, and non-game wildlife funding over the next two years. Water quality and quantity will also be significantly impacted by this session, with three bills specifically proposing new carve outs for exempt wells, and several attacking Montana’s nutrient standards. As in 2023, the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) is again under attack. This time more bills will tie the hands of the state and the Department of Environmental Quality to track greenhouse gases and act on their findings. One in particular, HB 285, seeks to make MEPA a “procedural” law with no teeth. And, as always, a few legislators have set their sights on wolves.
It’s easy to get bogged down by these issues, but we also have several great bills to highlight. HB 477, sponsored by Rep. Marler, is a slow phase-out of styrofoam single-use containers over several years. The bill received support from composters, businesses that create and sell compostable containers, conservation organizations, and members of the public. It passed out of committee with only two nays and will be on the floor soon. Finally, Rep. France’s HB 372 and Rep. Parry’s HB 146 would raise license fees, primarily for out-of-staters, on upland game birds, cranes, and swans, allocating millions in funding to grassland and wetland habitat restoration programs.
For the most recent legislative news, read Montana Audubon’s Action Alert emails on our website: https://mtaudubon.org/conservation-policy/action-alert/