Tobacco, mining initiatives OK’d for ballot
HELENA — Initiatives that would raise the tobacco tax and require reclamation plans for new hard-rock mines were approved this week for the Nov. 6 ballot.
Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said through social media Wednesday that I-185 and I-186 qualified for the ballot.
Supporters of 185 said they submitted more than 40,000 signatures in June.
“Montanans are picking up the bill for rising health care costs caused by Big Tobacco and their deadly products,” Amanda Cahill, American Heart Association Montana government relations director, said Wednesday in an email.
Montana last increased the tobacco tax in 2004 when voters approved increasing the cigarette tax to $1.70 per pack.
I-185 would raise tobacco taxes to fund health care programs. It raises taxes on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping products. Taxes are increased by $2 per pack of cigarettes for a total tax of $3.70 per pack.
Officials say the new revenue from increases in tobacco taxes will generate $74.3 million per year by 2023.
It eliminates the sunset date for expanded Medicaid services for certain low-income adults, which otherwise ends June 30, 2019. The funds would be used for certain health-related programs, including Medicaid program; veterans’ services; smoking prevention and cessation programs; and long-term care services for seniors and people with disabilities.
Officials say the new revenue from increases in tobacco taxes will generate $74.3 million per year by 2023, but add it may decline as fewer people use tobacco.
Charles Denowh, spokesman for Montanans Against Tax Hikes, said he group looks forward to educating voters about I-185’s “many flaws.”
“I-185 raises taxes but only dedicates a fraction of the money to the spending obligations it creates,” he said.
I-186 requires that new hard-rock mines in Montana have a reclamation plan that provides that the mine will not require perpetual treatment of water polluted by acid mine drainage or other contaminants such as arsenic, lead or mercury.
“This means Montanans in November will have the power to pass this measure, to protect our rivers and streams, and to ensure that mining is done responsibly in our state,” said David Brooks, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited.
”We support both clean water and responsible mining, but we can’t just take the mining industry’s word for it.”
Dave Galt, executive director of STOP I-186 to Protect Miners and Jobs, wrote in a June opinion piece that Montana has effective mining regulations and the environmental protections in place.
He said nearly 40 state and federal regulations have been enacted in the past 30 years to ensure that companies requesting mining permits have reclamation plans in place and funds set aside for remediation efforts.
“Montana taxpayers are never left with the bill for restoring our landscape,” Galt said.
Some Republicans in the state Legislature were unsuccessful in calling a special session to discuss the initiatives, which they said would be detrimental to the state.
State. Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, said the referenda would not change any wording to the initiatives but would address what Jones called a “lack of balance” in the proposals.
A majority of lawmakers did not support having a special session.
Supporters of the initiatives say lawmakers should let the voters decide and accused lawmakers of bowing to special interest groups.