Montana

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This summary is part of Beyond the Beltway: A Report on State Energy and Climate Policies produced by the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law

 

Montana gets 34% of its energy from hydro and 55% from coal. (The state holds vast coal reserves). Wind grew steadily starting in 2005 and by 2015 was at 6.7%. The state set a renewable portfolio standard of 15% by 2015, which utilities are presumably meeting by purchasing renewable energy credits from other states.

Montana has had Democratic governors since 2009, but the legislature is currently under firm Republican control. The current Governor’s energy plan balances support for coal with several other goals, such as reducing overall energy use by 10% and continuing to grow the economy and doubling solar by 2025.[1] He commented that the plan would advance Montana’s interests “by moving us toward more renewable energy, and encouraging innovation and energy efficiency. Because really, the only constant here is change. And as the saying goes, you’re either driving the bus or you’re under it.”[2] In May 2017 he vetoed Senate Bill 154, which would have eliminated tax credits and other incentives for renewables.

The Governor also condemned Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord:

“Ask any Montana farmer, rancher, hunter, angler, or skier – climate change is real and poses a threat to our economy and our way of life . . . . To not acknowledge that or deal with it in a responsible way is short-sighted and dangerous. In Montana, and in America, we face our challenges head on and work together to find solutions. We do not run away from them or pretend they don’t exist.”[3]

The state issued its first climate assessment in 2017. The report concluded that the state would experience temperature increases of 4.5-6.0 degrees Fahrenheit by midcentury and 5.6-9.8 degrees by 2100; multi-year and decade-long droughts; and significant changes in snowpack and runoff.[4]

While the state is similar to its mountain west neighbors in terms of resources and demographics, Montana’s leadership from the governor’s office may be helping to develop policies that address some of these risks.

 

  1. Montana Office of the Governor, “Governor Bullock Releases Blueprint for Montana’s Energy Future” (June 21, 2016), http://governor.mt.gov/newsroom/governor-bullock-releases-blueprint-for-montanas-energy-future.
  2. Corin Cates Carney, “Bullock’s Energy Plan to Develop All Montana’s Energy Resources,” Montana Public Radio (June 21, 2016), http://mtpr.org/post/bullocks-energy-plan-develop-all-montanas-energy-resources.
  3. Montana Office of the Governor, “Governor Bullock Weighs in on Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement” (undated), https://governor.mt.gov/Newsroom/governor-bullock-weighs-in-on-decision-to-withdraw-from-the-paris-agreement.
  4. Cathy Whitlock et al., “2017 Montana Climate Assessment,” Montana State University and University of Montana (2017), http://montanaclimate.org/chapter/executive-summary.