May 12, 2011
HELENA — Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Thursday let a controversial bill become law despite warnings from critics saying it weakens the state’s hallmark environmental act.
He allowed Senate Bill 233, by Sen. Jim Keane, D-Butte, to become law without his signature. It overhauls the 1971 Montana Environmental Policy Act, which supporters consider the foundation of Montana’s environmental law. The bill restricts what government departments can evaluate during environmental reviews and forbids courts from halting or delaying projects during lawsuits over the adequacy of an agency’s MEPA review. <Read More>
