Issue Position: Fighting Federal Overreach and Standing Up for the Rule of Law

Issue Position

Immigration

When President Obama bypassed Congress and used his famous "pen" and "phone" to enact amnesty for illegal immigrants, I joined with 25 other states to hold the President accountable in federal court. Our coalition has been successful in getting an injunction against the executive orders, and we will continue this battle to ensure the federal government does its job in protecting and defending the border.

Waters of the US

The WOTUS rule is one of most overreaching, sweeping rules from the federal government that extend the EPA's reach to just about any body of water in the country. In the past, Congress has rejected similar power grabs by the EPA. The rule has many individuals and groups concerned, including farmers, ranchers, developers, realtors and local governments. My office was one of the first, along with several other attorneys general in the West and Midwest, to challenge the WOTUS regulations that would expand federal control over state waters. The federal courts have issued a nationwide injunction against implementation of WOTUS, finding that the suing states are likely to win on the merits of the case.

Montana v. Wyoming

I have defended Montana's control of our water resources and worked to ensure that our state is being fairly compensated for the use of our water. We were successful in this case and won a major victory for water users across our state.

Clean Power Plan

I worked to stop the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan and the imposition of harmful and costly regulations on Montana's energy producers. 60% of Montana's electricity is supplied by coal and hundreds of Montana jobs depend on it. I am working to stop this gross regulatory overreach by the EPA and save Montana jobs. The federal courts have issued enjoined the EPA from implementing these rules, again finding that the suing states are likely to win on the merits of the case.

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