Citizens unite in the fight against single-use plastics!

An alarming trend is developing in Montana where the legislature is methodically stripping local governments of the power to address the harms posed to our health and environment, and at the same time, failing to address those same harms. The harms posed by single use plastic is a perfect example.

Our Beyond Plastics Working Group is currently focused on building a coalition of citizens and organizations in Missoula, MT to reduce the harm caused by single-use plastics. They are working with citizens across the state on this issue including colleagues who are working on an initiative in Bozeman. 

Citizens, with the help of Cottonwood Environmental Law Center (based in Bozeman), challenged the constitutionality of HB 407 (a 2021 ban on local government and local initiatives to regulate single use plastics). The court recently ruled in their favor regarding the unconstitutionality of the part of the law that restricts citizen's rights to address plastics through the citizens’ initiative process!

On the heels of the summary judgment, they are hoping to get a plastics ordinance on the November ballot in Missoula.