Montana Environmental Information Center Inc

MEIC IS A NONPROFIT, NONPARTISAN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE. ITS MISSION IS PROTECT AND RESTORE MONTANA'S CLEAN AND HEALTHFUL NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. ITS MOST SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: MONITORING AND INFLUENCING MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT ACTIONS (INCLUDING USING LITIGATION AS A LAST RESORT); EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; AND HELPING OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WITH SIMILAR CONCERNS. MEIC WORKS ON A WIDE RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INCLUDING: GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE; ENERGY POLICIES AND PROMOTING RENEWABLE ENERGY; AIR POLLUTION; WATER POLLUTION; HARDROCK AND COAL MINING; LOCAL LAND USE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT; MANAGEMENT OF STATE-OWNED LANDS; AND DEFENDING MONTANANS' RIGHTS TO A CLEAN AND HEALTHFUL ENVIRONMENT AND TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT. MEIC'S FINANCIAL SUPPORT COMES FROM ITS MEMBERS AND OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

MONITORED AND INFLUENCED THE DECISIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT (PRIMARILY), AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND MONTANA LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (SECONDARILY), THAT AFFECT THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. MEIC'S STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS TALKED TO, MET WITH, AND WROTE TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON HUNDREDS OF OCCASIONS DURING THE YEAR, ATTENDED HUNDREDS OF HEARINGS AND PUBLIC MEETINGS (INCLUDING MANY DURING MONTANA'S BIENNIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION), SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS ON PROPOSED GOVERNMENT ACTIONS AT LEAST 50 TIMES DURING THE YEAR, AND WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERATING THOUSANDS OF COMMUNICATIONS FROM MEIC MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. IN ADDITION, MEIC WAS A PLAINTIFF OR INTERVENOR IN A NUMBER OF LEGAL ACTIONS INVOLVING GOVERNMENT DECISIONS.

EDUCATED INDIVIDUALS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, AND THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. MEIC PUBLISHED IN PRINT OR ELECTRONIC FORM FOUR ISSUES OF ITS NEWSLETTER THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO AS MANY AS 6,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND ORGANIZATIONS, SPONSORED FOUR PUBIC EVENTS, MADE PRESENTATIONS TO STUDENT AND CIVIC GROUPS, DISTRIBUTED A HUNDRED OR MORE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC ALERTS, AND MAINTAINED AN ACTIVE PRESENCE IN THE VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA (INCLUDING BEING FOLLOWED BY MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK). IN ADDITION, MEIC WAS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR OVER 50 STORIES IN THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA, IN MONTANA AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND WAS SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED IN NEWS STORIES, OR ITS STAFF OR VOLUNTEERS QUOTED, OVER 50 TIMES.

HELPED INDIVIDUALS AND OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THEM. MEIC ASSISTED OVER 200 INDIVIDUALS DURING THE YEAR ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE, AND WORKED WITH AT LEAST 20 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, OFTEN ON A CONTINUING BASIS, PROVIDING INFORMATION, STRATEGIC AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND SERVICES.