Initiative 187
Get Montana to at least 80% renewable energy by 2034 while lowering your energy bill, protecting workers, increasing personal liberties, and more.
What is left of Grinnell Glacier, MT
Photo by Ruben van Wijngaarden on Unsplash
Take Power
Into Your Hands
By coming together, we can secure a brighter, more sustainable future for Montana and all its residents.
Our Mission
MTCares advocates for building a better future for all Montanans through environmental stewardship and sustainable development. Together we can protect our land, our pocketbooks, and our freedom.
We are focusing all our efforts on the I-187 Petition to get Montana to at least 80% renewable energy by 2034. Once we get 25,468 approved signatures, it will go on the ballot for the November 2020 election.
MTCares is a fellowship of citizens concerned about the climate crisis. There are many ways to help, from collecting signatures and working the phones to making donations and writing articles.
We envision a future where
are happy, healthy, and thriving.
Renewable Energy
Renewable Future
Click + to Learn How Initiative 187:
Pension protection, job retraining, and more.
The coal industry is steadily going bankrupt. Plants are already closing around Montana and as they close, more and more workers are out of their jobs. Their previous employers may be unable to pay all of the pensions those workers are owed. I-187 will provide pension support, unemployment benefits, AND retraining of displaced fossil fuel workers with additional financial help for those in coal-dependent communities.
Coal: Energy from coal-fired electrons costs Montanans between 5.5c/kWh and 7.4c/kWh. Adding 90% carbon capture elsewhere sent costs as high as 15.2c/kWh.
Wind v. CCNG: The unsubsidized levelized costs for wind power in the US ranged from 2.4c/kWh to 4.6c/kWh in 2019; the range for combined cycle natural gas turbine generation was 4.1c/kWh to 5.9c/kWh.
Solar v. Gas Peaker: A June 2019 contract for solar power with battery backup was signed by Los Angles DWP for 2.9c/kWh, and GE abandoned plans for a California gas plant that could not compete with solar. In the US, gas peaking with a 10% capacity factor was producing 12.2c/kWh to 16.2c/kWh electricity.
Coal is roughly two times more expensive than solar; sometimes almost four times more expensive than wind.
America was built by combining government support with free-market economics. So, often businesses that best serve their customers were the most successful. However, governmentally-granted monopolies have not supplied the best electric service in Montana.
Currently, renewable energy sources and conservation are limited by policies to protect monopoly interests. The result is that you end up paying more for your electricity. I-187 levels the playing field.
Right now, it is illegal for Montanans to put up more than 50 Kw of solar or wind power. That means that not only do you have to buy electricity that you might be able to produce for yourself but you also can’t sell as much excess power back to the grid. You pay more, make less, and are more reliant on power companies.
I-187 would make it legal for businesses and homes to install twice as much power–up to 100 Kw.
Governments, churches and non-profits could install five times what current law allows–up to 250 Kw.
Throughout Montana, many communal resources such as schools and libraries are partially funded by a tax on coal revenues. As coal revenues continue to decline, the amount of funding earned from coal royalties and that tax will also decline. As a result, the services we all depend on will become underfunded. To protect against this, as coal tax revenue dwindles I-187 increases an existing tax on each kilowatt hour of electricity from all sources to ensure that those services don’t suffer from the inevitable transition to renewables.
The best part is that because renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, citizens of Montana will still pay less for their energy, even with this small replacement tax.
Our Progress
With a growing network of volunteers, we’re collecting signatures faster than ever before. With your help, 2020 will be the year I-187 gets on the ballot.
How Can You Help?
Volunteer
There are a dozen ways you can help Montana move toward a healthier and more sustainable future, from going door-to-door and making calls to running fundraisers and rallies. No matter how little time or experience you have, there are ways to help.
Learn
There are many pieces to be considered when it comes to protecting Montana’s residents and environment. No one has all the answers but we each have a duty to be informed and to partake in respectful dialogue toward a better future.
Donate
There’s only so much our volunteers can accomplish without YOU! Your donations will directly impact the promotion of the I-187 initiative by funding education, mailing, and phoning. Let’s make a difference together.