MCV Legislative Hotlist: January 26, 2009

Dear Conservation Voter,

I'm reporting mixed news this week.

First the great news.

House Bill 190, the steam access bill, passed 2^nd reading on the House floor today 95- 5, obviously with terrific bi-partisan support.  (You have to wonder why the five folks who voted no did so.)  Thank you for calling on this bill!

House Bill 27, a bill to remove the sunset, and thereby extend a program funding conservation and low-income home weatherization, passed committee unanimously last week, and is headed to the House floor sometime this week.

A good bill to define and set standards for carbon sequestration died in the Senate Energy committee (SB 66), and this week we're seeing an attack on the incredibly successful renewable energy standard. 

Read on for more and how to help...

Legislative Hotlist

The State Legislative Hotlist keeps you up-to-date each week on key environmental and conservation-related bills under consideration in the Montana Legislature.

Click to view our House and Senate Hotlists, which summarize the conservation community position on bills, give a quick summary, and describe where the bill is in the process (committee hearing, pending executive action, awaiting action on the floor).

The bills appearing in the Hotlist are backed by one or more groups that are part of a diverse coalition of environmental and conservation groups working in the legislature - more than a dozen of the states' leading conservation and environmental policy experts.

And the bad news...

Let's get to work - help us fight SB 257, a bill that would erode the renewable energy movement in Montana.

In 2005, an incredible coalition of conservationists, business people, and politicians joined to craft and pass the Renewable Energy Standard.  SB 415, sponsored by then state Senator Jon Tester, requires investor owned utilities to acquire 15% of their portion of the state's energy from renewable sources like wind.  When the bill passed, Montana harvested less than 1% of its power from renewable sources.  Now, we're well on our way to meeting the requirement.

We oppose SB 257, sponsored by Sen. Jim Keane (D- Butte), because it erodes the strength and intent of the law.  It would allow routine repairs and upgrades on existing hydropower systems to count toward the Renewable Energy Standard, decreasing the drive to develop new sources of clean, cheap power.

Please contact members of the Senate Energy Committee and urge them to vote no on SB 257, the bill that would erode the power and intent of the Renewable Energy Standard.   Call 406.444.4800 today.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Cobler, Program Director, Montana Conservation Voters

sarah@mtvoters.org phone 406.581.2284

PS- Next week, expect a little something special from us in your inbox.

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