Montana Public Interest Research Group (MontPIRG) is a student public interest research group (PIRG) located at the University of Montana in Missoula. 1 MontPIRG is part a network of campus and state-based PIRGs across the country, many considered advocacy arms of the national office U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US-PIRG) in Denver, Colorado. 2 MontPIRG’s core program is to register students to vote, while simultaneously presenting them with left-of-center advocacy.
MontPIRG has operated at a loss in tax years 2021 and 2022, in part due to legislative changes prohibiting the group from receiving revenue from compulsory student fees. In 2021, the group was reclassified to an opt-in organization within the public Montana University System. 3
Student Fee Controversy
MontPIRG has partially funded its operations by attaching fees up to $5.00 over the past four decades when students register for classes each semester. 4 Student fees to Student PIRGs are controversial, as the groups are staunchly left-of-center advocacy organizations. 5
The Montana legislature sought to restrict student fees to advocacy groups like MontPIRG. In 2021, Senate Bill 319 reclassified the fees to MontPIRG from opt-out to opt-in and limited MontPIRG operations to certain areas of campus. After the law’s passage, the Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) government-worker labor union and MontPIRG filed a lawsuit challenging SB 319. The court upheld the reclassification of MontPIRG fees to opt-in but struck down the restrictions on campus access. 3
Subsequently the state Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education suspended the flow of money to MontPIRG as of June 2023 for not filing required paperwork. 4 Executive director Hunter Losing stated that MontPIRG chose not to file for renewal with the Board of Regents, knowing that their fee would not be approved. 3 The Commissioner’s Office has stated that MontPIRG must find another avenue to collect its fee. The Commissioner’s Office affirmed its position that the public Montana University System is not the place for funneling money for public policy advocacy. The changes have cost MontPIRG an estimated $50,000 per year. 4
History
MontPIRG was founded 1981 by C.B. Pearson and Jon Motl with a focus were on left-of-center consumer protection issues. The organization started focusing on environmental issues in the 1990s, and weather-dependent energy in the mid-2000s. 6
Photos on MontPIRG’s website show the group meeting with former Montana Governors Brian Schweitzer (D) and Steve Bullock (D). 6 Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) has seen multiple lawsuits filed against the state of Montana by MontPIRG and its affiliates while in office. 7
Campaigns and Affiliates
MontPIRG like many student PIRGs, focuses on local issues including student voter registration, environmentalism, LGBT issues, and landlord-tenant regulations. MontPIRG has also partnered with the Native American tribes local to the area on environmental and voter registration issues. 6
The MFPE government worker union has joined MontPIRG in lawsuits to challenge SB 319 and the state constitutional oversight the Board of Regents has over the public university system. This board contains seven members and is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate, which oversees the public Montana University System. MontPIRG has plans to file for the reinstatement of opt-out fee assessments and get a student on the Board of Regents in 2025. 3
Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act
MontPIRG advocates for the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) introduced by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) in 2021 sets to designate close to 80,000 acres as federally protected wilderness to include the head waters of the Blackfoot and Clearwater rivers. 8 This is said to help protect habitats for certain wildlife such as elk, grizzly bears, bull trout, and lynx. However, special interest carveouts to the BCSA would give private logging rights to approximately 3,000 acres of the Monture Creek area. Subsequently this area would be designated for off-road recreational vehicles after logging operations are completed and would encompass the full 5,000 acres of the Monture Creek area. 9
References
- “Staff.” MontPIRG. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://www.mtpirg.org/staff
- “Student Pirg Affiliates.” Student PIRGs. Accessed January 24, 2024. https://studentpirgs.org/affiliates/.
- Tallman, Andy. “Who’s Afraid of the Student Vote?” Montana Kaimin, October 19, 2023. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://www.montanakaimin.com/features/who-s-afraid-of-the-student-vote/article_e5b2a510-6e3f-11ee-a9e7-2b07b2d4b290.html#tncms-source=article-nav-prev.
- Szpaller, Keila “Even Though UM Students Supported Fee, University and Higher Ed System Stop Funding.” Daily Montanan, June 12, 2023. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://dailymontanan.com/2023/06/12/even-though-um-students-supported-fee-university-and-higher-ed-system-stop-funding/.
- Balko, Radley. “Opinion: Nader Scams College Kids.” Fox News. January 13, 2015. Accessed January 23, 2024. http://www.foxnews.com/story/2003/03/13/nader-scams-college-kids.html.
- “History.” MontPIRG. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.mtpirg.org/history
- Sakariassen, Alex. “Youth Voting Groups File Montana’s Fourth Election Lawsuit.” Montana Free Press, September 10, 2021. Accessed January 28, 2024. https://montanafreepress.org/2021/09/09/montana-election-law-challenged-with-fourth-lawsuit/.
- “Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.” MontPIRG. Accessed February 20, 2024. https://www.mtpirg.org/bcsa.
- Garrity, Mike. “The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Tester’s Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act.” The Hill, November 5, 2021. Accessed January 30, 2024. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/580350-the-good-bad-and-ugly-of-testers-blackfoot-clearwater/.