A Podcast Runs Through It

Editor’s note: When this interview was recorded on 03/12/20 Montana had just reported our first case of Covid-19. Since then we’ve entered a strange new world of school and business closures, social distancing, stay at home orders, hundreds of cases of Covid-19 and sadly, deaths. Please take care of yourselves and others by following Covid-19 public safety protocols and please stay informed.

Montana Conservation Voters (MCV) has been the leading guardian of environmental and conservation values in Montana for over 20 years. Over 70% of Montanans - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents - identify as conservationists who care about public lands, clean water and clean air, and MCV serves as their political voice and advocates on their behalf. We sat down with Executive Director, Aaron Murphy, and Deputy Director, Whitney Tawney, for a lively conversation about the work MCV is doing through their various branches. The MCV Education Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization focuses on involving citizens in the democratic process by educating voters about critical conservation and environmental issues, promoting non-partisan civic engagement, and holding elected officials accountable at every level of government from the courthouse to Congress. Their PAC’s, MCV Action Fund and MCV Federal Action Fund work to elect, support, and hold accountable candidates running for and holding elected positions who support protecting the environment and our public lands heritage. We talk about how voters can use their MCV Legislative Score Card to see how their elected officials follow through on their commitment to protecting public lands and the environment before casting their votes. We also discuss the Land and Water Conservation Fund which collects revenue from offshore oil and gas developments and funnels those critical funds into public lands through the Interior Department. While Montana’s federal congressional delegation all refer to themselves as champions of public lands, Senator Tester has worked to insist Congress allocates full funding, while Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte have failed to stand up for Montana’s public lands. We also discuss MCV’s Montana Engagement Project which beginning in spring of  2020 will be conducting a field program, “The Keystone Canvass”, a boots on the ground operation in Eastern Montana which will focus on the impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline on communities along the route and will work directly with voters to address their concerns and build a conservation voter movement. A Podcast Runs Through It is proud to say we fully endorse Montana Conservation Voters and encourage our listeners to join their organization in the fight to protect Montana’s clean water, clean air, and public lands.

Link to MCV’s Top 10 Projects of 2019- 2020:  https://youtu.be/zcguZ3TmCpM