Helena!
No doubt, the 2021 MT State Legislative Session is an important one, for the climate and more. Check out the links below to see how you advocate for a climate smart Montana, and how to stay informed and involved on this year's legislative proceedings.
Ways you can advocate...
- Write a letter to the editor - these are read by elected officials. You can write to the Missoula Current here, and the Missoulian here.
- Voice your support or opposition to a bill (more on that below).
- Maybe, attend an event or demonstration. For now, these are being held given COVID, but stay tuned!
What you need to know:
How to contact legislators & be an advocate:
Quick tip from our Clark Fork Coalition friends: Montana Free Press has compiled a great guide on how to be a part of the 2021 legislative session, including everything from how to contact your rep to how to track bills. Find it HERE.
MT LEGISLATURE WEBSITE - It's easy to navigate - you can find bills, watch or listen to hearings, and connect with your legislator.
HAVE YOUR SAY MONTANA - One of the key ways you can participate in the 2021 MT Legislative session virtually, with new remote capabilities. You can request to testify on a bill remotely and/or upload your testimony.
LOOK UP BILL INFORMATION
2 easy ways:
1) Leave a voice message. Call the Capitol at (406) 444-4800 and request to leave messages for the committee members or an individual legislator. Leave a message Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (8 a.m. until adjournment on Saturdays).
2) Send an email. You can send an email to a committee or to an individual legislator via the online web messaging form.
If you do not know who your legislators are, you can search by zip code on Open State's website.
Check out this great resource all about how to have your say at legislative committee hearings.
Connect directly with our favorite partners:
These folks are paying attention every day, helping all of us stay up to date on the issues that matter to clean energy, climate and mores!
Montana Renewable Energy Association: Care about solar energy? Check out Andrew's recent blog post and sign up for MREA's email list. MREA plays a crucial role in keeping solar available and affordable.
Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC): They've been doing this for decades. Sign up for their e-alerts here.
MEIC's 2021 Legislature page and bill tracker are good to keep bookmarked. These help stay up to date on the issues that matter to clean energy! You can also sign up for their e-alerts. And here you can read a primer about the coming legislative session. The short; buckle up, as things might get ugly.
Directly from MEIC: The Montana State Legislature is allowing Montanans to testify remotely. However, registering to testify for these hearings is confusing. That’s why MEIC will host another training session to make sure that you are prepared to participate. During these training sessions MEIC will address: (1) what to anticipate during the session; (2) how to participate; and (3) some tips to make the most of your remote testimony. MEIC is hosting legislative Training sessions every Thursday at 5 pm through April to help you know what’s going on and better participate. If you would like to participate in the session, please click this link on Thursday at 5 pm. If you have any further questions, please email cploeger@meic.org.
Other Groups to Follow:
Forward Montana
Northern Plains Resource Council
Montana Conservation Voters
Quick tip from our Clark Fork Coalition friends: Montana Free Press has compiled a great guide on how to be a part of the 2021 legislative session, including everything from how to contact your rep to how to track bills. Find it HERE.
MT LEGISLATURE WEBSITE - It's easy to navigate - you can find bills, watch or listen to hearings, and connect with your legislator.
HAVE YOUR SAY MONTANA - One of the key ways you can participate in the 2021 MT Legislative session virtually, with new remote capabilities. You can request to testify on a bill remotely and/or upload your testimony.
LOOK UP BILL INFORMATION
2 easy ways:
1) Leave a voice message. Call the Capitol at (406) 444-4800 and request to leave messages for the committee members or an individual legislator. Leave a message Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (8 a.m. until adjournment on Saturdays).
2) Send an email. You can send an email to a committee or to an individual legislator via the online web messaging form.
If you do not know who your legislators are, you can search by zip code on Open State's website.
Check out this great resource all about how to have your say at legislative committee hearings.
Connect directly with our favorite partners:
These folks are paying attention every day, helping all of us stay up to date on the issues that matter to clean energy, climate and mores!
Montana Renewable Energy Association: Care about solar energy? Check out Andrew's recent blog post and sign up for MREA's email list. MREA plays a crucial role in keeping solar available and affordable.
Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC): They've been doing this for decades. Sign up for their e-alerts here.
MEIC's 2021 Legislature page and bill tracker are good to keep bookmarked. These help stay up to date on the issues that matter to clean energy! You can also sign up for their e-alerts. And here you can read a primer about the coming legislative session. The short; buckle up, as things might get ugly.
Directly from MEIC: The Montana State Legislature is allowing Montanans to testify remotely. However, registering to testify for these hearings is confusing. That’s why MEIC will host another training session to make sure that you are prepared to participate. During these training sessions MEIC will address: (1) what to anticipate during the session; (2) how to participate; and (3) some tips to make the most of your remote testimony. MEIC is hosting legislative Training sessions every Thursday at 5 pm through April to help you know what’s going on and better participate. If you would like to participate in the session, please click this link on Thursday at 5 pm. If you have any further questions, please email cploeger@meic.org.
Other Groups to Follow:
Forward Montana
Northern Plains Resource Council
Montana Conservation Voters
Active Bills in the 2021 Legislative Session
From our friends at MREA & MEIC:
SB84, (Senator Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip) - OPPOSE. SB 84 would eliminate the Consumer Counsel oversight committee and replace it with legislators who serve on the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee. The Consumer Counsel oversight committee oversees the constitutionally created Consumer Counsel which represents consumers in all proceedings before the Montana Public Service Commission. The independence of the Counsel is critical to ensuring consumers’ interests are represented when utilities such as NorthWestern Energy want to raise electricity or gas bills or build expensive new power plants. This bill would increase the politicization of the oversight committee.
SB 85 (Senator Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip) - OPPOSE. SB 85 would double or even quadruple the taxes on wind projects in Montana. This tax increase will make it less economically viable for wind developers to build projects here. The legislature should be making it easier for this renewable energy to flourish. On Thursday, January 14th, at 9 a.m. the Senate Taxation committee will hold a hearing and accept public testimony. Register to testify here before noon on Wednesday, January 13th. You may also submit written testimony directly to the committee by going to MEIC’s website or legislative services.
HB 17 (Rep. Hamilton) – SUPPORT. This bill allows the Alternative Energy System Tax Credit to be fully refundable. Right now, Montanans with small tax liability – such as lower and moderate income households – are not able to claim the full $500 ($1,000/household) making an up front investment in renewables more challenging. Making the credit refundable allows Montanans to claim the full amount, increasing access to solar and wind systems and helping more Montanans lock in long-term, affordable energy costs while stimulating local economies. The bill was discussed by the Revenue Interim Committee in 2020 and (barely) passed out of committee with bipartisan support.
The original Committee vote was delayed by a week, and will now take place tomorrow (Friday, January 15th).
If you haven't reached out yet, please contact the House Taxation Committee TODAY and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 17 to help Montanans access long-term energy savings using rooftop solar and small wind.
SB 7 (Senator Jill Cohenour (D-East Helena) – SUPPORT. An Act Revising Tax Credits for Energy Conservation. The Tax Credits for Energy Conservation encourages the use of renewable energy and energy conservation through incentive programs. These programs provide tax credits for individuals who volunteer to participate in the program, and provides financial benefits for those that demonstrably promote energy conservation. If passed, SB-7 will amend the MCA to make it easier for Montanans to obtain these credits, and provides more monetary benefits from the credit. First, the Act increases the amount received by these credits from $500 to $800. Second, the Act makes the Conservation Tax Credit refundable if it exceeds the taxpayer’s tax liability. And finally, the Act will repeal a prohibition against utilities claiming conservation tax credit in order to make them eligible as well.
SB84, (Senator Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip) - OPPOSE. SB 84 would eliminate the Consumer Counsel oversight committee and replace it with legislators who serve on the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee. The Consumer Counsel oversight committee oversees the constitutionally created Consumer Counsel which represents consumers in all proceedings before the Montana Public Service Commission. The independence of the Counsel is critical to ensuring consumers’ interests are represented when utilities such as NorthWestern Energy want to raise electricity or gas bills or build expensive new power plants. This bill would increase the politicization of the oversight committee.
SB 85 (Senator Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip) - OPPOSE. SB 85 would double or even quadruple the taxes on wind projects in Montana. This tax increase will make it less economically viable for wind developers to build projects here. The legislature should be making it easier for this renewable energy to flourish. On Thursday, January 14th, at 9 a.m. the Senate Taxation committee will hold a hearing and accept public testimony. Register to testify here before noon on Wednesday, January 13th. You may also submit written testimony directly to the committee by going to MEIC’s website or legislative services.
HB 17 (Rep. Hamilton) – SUPPORT. This bill allows the Alternative Energy System Tax Credit to be fully refundable. Right now, Montanans with small tax liability – such as lower and moderate income households – are not able to claim the full $500 ($1,000/household) making an up front investment in renewables more challenging. Making the credit refundable allows Montanans to claim the full amount, increasing access to solar and wind systems and helping more Montanans lock in long-term, affordable energy costs while stimulating local economies. The bill was discussed by the Revenue Interim Committee in 2020 and (barely) passed out of committee with bipartisan support.
The original Committee vote was delayed by a week, and will now take place tomorrow (Friday, January 15th).
If you haven't reached out yet, please contact the House Taxation Committee TODAY and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 17 to help Montanans access long-term energy savings using rooftop solar and small wind.
SB 7 (Senator Jill Cohenour (D-East Helena) – SUPPORT. An Act Revising Tax Credits for Energy Conservation. The Tax Credits for Energy Conservation encourages the use of renewable energy and energy conservation through incentive programs. These programs provide tax credits for individuals who volunteer to participate in the program, and provides financial benefits for those that demonstrably promote energy conservation. If passed, SB-7 will amend the MCA to make it easier for Montanans to obtain these credits, and provides more monetary benefits from the credit. First, the Act increases the amount received by these credits from $500 to $800. Second, the Act makes the Conservation Tax Credit refundable if it exceeds the taxpayer’s tax liability. And finally, the Act will repeal a prohibition against utilities claiming conservation tax credit in order to make them eligible as well.
Photo credit: Tim Spangler
|
|
|
Testifying for a healthy climate, when it was safe to do so!
|
Solar Jobs Rally in Helena when it was safe to gather! |
