Montana, USA

You’re Invited to a Climate, Courts, and Clean Environment in Action Town Hall: Montana Environmental Advocacy Series

Dates: September 5 & September 12, 2024
Time: 5:30-6:30 pm MT / 7:30-8:30 pm ET

Join us for a two-part virtual series exploring ways everyday Montanans can fight for their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment and hold state agencies accountable. Together, these discussions underscore the intersection of legal action, accountability, and community power in the fight for environmental justice, public health, and climate.

Our first session, "Fighting for Montana's Constitutional Right to a Clean Environment," tells the story of climate and environmental issues facing Montanans, highlights landmark youth climate litigation, and shows how the people of Montana can take an active role in upholding Montana’s constitutional protections for a healthful environment.

The following week, "Montana’s Climate Challenge: Accountability in Action" shifts focus to the critical role of the Montana Public Service Commission in addressing the impacts of climate change on utilities as well as environmental justice concerns.

These events are hosted by Earthjustice Action and Earthjustice.

Montana’s Climate Challenge: Accountability in Action

Thursday, September 12, 2024

This event will focus on the crucial role of the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) in Montana’s climate footprint and the importance of holding them accountable for their decisions on utility gas and electric resources. We will discuss Earthjustice’s litigation efforts to compel the PSC to account for climate-related costs—like allowing utilities to continue operations that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions—and explore the broader implications for environmental justice and public health.

Featured Speakers

Jenny Harbine is the managing attorney of the Northern Rockies regional office, leading advocacy to protect the region’s wild landscapes and wildlife, prevent and remedy the harmful impacts of fossil fuel development, and promote a transition to clean renewable energy. Jenny developed her passion for environmental protection growing up in Missoula, Montana, where she was surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty and a community that strongly connected with the land. Prior to joining Earthjustice in 2006, Jenny was an attorney at a small environmental and land use law firm in San Francisco, California. She is a 2003 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Bonnie Hickey is the Director of Sustainability at Bridger Bowl, where she oversees an award-winning sustainability program, including solar energy production and energy efficiency, waste reduction, and community transit initiatives. A long-time ski instructor, Bonnie recently received a Lifetime Membership in Professional Ski Instructors of America. In 2022, she was honored to receive the National Ski Area Association's Golden Eagle Hero of Sustainability award. Motivated by its longstanding commitment to stewardship of Montana’s natural resources, Bridger Bowl joined the rulemaking request to the Public Service Commission to ensure they were performing their duties under the law to address the causes and impacts of climate change in Montana.

Diego Rivas recently joined Sanger Law as an associate attorney after more than 14 years as a senior policy associate and regulatory counsel with the NW Energy Coalition. At NWEC, he led clean and affordable energy policy advocacy in Montana and Idaho and intervened in regulatory proceedings on behalf of the organization in all four northwest states. Diego has a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Georgia and received his law degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, MN. He spends his free time with his family in Montana’s great outdoors hiking, camping, boating, hunting, fishing, and playing or watching his kids play organized sports.

Hiram Towle is the General Manager and Director of Stoke at Bridger Bowl Ski Area. He joined the management staff at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, in 2022. Bridger Bowl is the second largest non-profit ski resort in the country. Bridger Bowl joined the rulemaking request to the Public Service Commission to ensure they were performing their duties under the law.

Michael Hudson is a volunteer for Families for a Livable Climate, and he believes action is our hope. Michael is a father, husband, and psychotherapist. His love of his children and care for all the beings of the planet inspire his efforts to see our grid transition rapidly to 100 percent renewable energy. He has spent much of his life in the backcountry and has trained in Aikido for more than 2 decades. As a psychotherapist he has had the privilege to witness the best of humanity -- love, courage, and incredible capability in the face of deep challenges. These experiences provide the foundation for his activism. He continues to work to understand the relationship between his ancestry of colonization and his responsibilities as a part of a landscape that has been cared for by indigenous people for millennia.

Thursday, September 12, 2024
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM (MT) | 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM (ET)

Can’t join live? Register to receive a recording after the event.

This will be a town hall–style event and will include a live Q&A where you can submit questions for our speakers. The event platform will offer closed captioning and the option to dial in by phone for audio-only access.

Questions? Contact info@earthjusticeaction.org.

Fighting for Montana’s Constitutional Right to a Clean Environment

Thursday, September 5, 2024

This event will delve into the landmark climate litigation efforts in Montana, focusing on the constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. With a backdrop of recent legal victories, including the youth-led Held v. Montana case and community-driven efforts, we will discuss how public engagement and judicial integrity are crucial in upholding these environmental protections. The event will emphasize the role of voter mobilization to ensure the enforcement of environmental laws that safeguard public health and future generations.

Featured Speakers

Chrissy Pepino is a communications specialist, nature enthusiast, and life-long learner. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Chrissy has perfected her techniques of data collection, research analysis, and analytical writing skills. She is an AmeriCorps alum, where she served in Colorado under the Southwest Conservation Corps. Chrissy completed her Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology at Chapman University. She has worked for Earthjustice for nearly 10 years and resides in Bozeman, Montana. As a mother, Chrissy has vowed to double down on mission-critical work to fight for a livable and healthy planet for not only her daughter but for the communities who are suffering right now. Chrissy believes there’s no better time than the present to make meaningful change.

Claire Vlases, a 21-year-old from Bozeman, Montana, is this year’s TIME Magazine Earth Awardee and a 2023 Outsider of the Year for her work as a plaintiff in the youth-led climate lawsuit, Held v. State of Montana. Claire has been taking action to address the climate crisis since middle school, when she raised $120,000 to install solar panels on her public school. In high school, she was appointed by the mayor of Bozeman to plan sustainability initiatives for the city. After years of watching declining snowpack and drought conditions in Montana—and experiencing their cascading impacts on her work as a ski instructor and her family, who rely on Bozeman Creek as the primary water source for crops and livestock, Claire brought her advocacy efforts to the courtroom in the famous Held v. State of Montana case. In August 2023, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled wholly in favor of the 16 youth plaintiffs, and declared the State of Montana’s laws that require the State to turn a blind eye to young people’s climate injuries while promoting fossil fuel activities a violation of their constitutional rights to a clean and healthful environment. It was a historic win and received international attention. The case is currently pending before the Montana Supreme Court following the State's appeal. Claire is now a senior in college, studying Computer Science and Ethics at Claremont McKenna College.

Conrad Anker is a world-renowned rock climber, mountaineer, and author. He was the team leader of The North Face climbing team for 26 years. Conrad has a philosophy of connecting his passion for climbing with his passion for the planet. He believes that we do not just measure greatness by the peaks that we climb, or the heights that we reach, but rather by the positive impact that we create for ourselves, our communities, and our planet. Everyone who is inspired by the wisdom of the great outdoors is welcome to engage in the dialogue of conservation and become an advocate for nature, protecting our sacred earth.

Michelle Uberuaga helped launch the Moms Clean Air Force chapter in Montana in 2015 and has grown Moms to nearly 4,000 Montana members. Michelle recently joined the National Parks Conservation Association as the Yellowstone senior program manager after serving for nearly a decade as the Executive Director of a community-based conservation group, Park County Environmental Council (PCEC). At PCEC, she helped organize her community and a group of business leaders to stop two gold mines on the border of Yellowstone National Park through litigation and the passage of the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. Michelle grew up in Mount Rainier National Park, and her first home in Montana was Cooke City, where she worked as a field researcher on a coyote ecology project in Yellowstone more than 15 years ago. Having lived all over the state, Michelle and her family fell in love with the wind and chose Livingston to put down roots.

Questions? Contact info@earthjusticeaction.org.