Center For New Frontiers

THE MISSION

The Center for New Frontiers is dedicated to opening new frontiers for freedom so Montanans can build and create an abundant future.

2023-2025 Policy Priorities

The Center’s biennium policy priorities are:

– Securing fundamental rights to enable economic dynamism
– Regulatory reforms to empower innovators and entrepreneurs
– Encouraging crypto and blockchain innovation
– Eliminating policy barriers to energy abundance
– Developing pro-innovation environmental policy

Montana 2050 Project

The Center will also lead the Montana 2050 Project, an initiative to develop a long-range free market policy vision for issues critical to future economic prosperity. During the 23-25 Biennium, the Center will explore long-range Montana 2050 priorities in the following issue areas:

– Property Rights
– Occupational Licensing
– Education
– Red Tape Relief

Montana Trailblazers: Aurora Innovation with Trent Berg

"The photonics industry is growing, and it’s growing fast. Photonics companies, like Aurora, are committed to Montana."

By Tanner Avery

REPORTS

Montana 2050: Crypto

Montana 2050: Critical Minerals

Montana 2050: Artificial Intelligence

Montana 2050: Data Centers

Montana Red Tape Snapshot: 2024

Lawfare Threatens Clean, Healthful Environment

"Our chronically ambiguous federal and state environmental permitting laws have enabled fringe anti-forest management groups to weaponize the courts and shut down critical projects, even projects that are good for our forests and our environment."

By Kendall Cotton

From Plans To Reality: The Vital Role of Categorical Exclusions In Forest Restoration Projects

"The focus must be on expediting good projects to remove excess fuels in our forests, not limiting the use of good tools."

By Hannah Downey

New EPA Rules Threaten Montana’s Economic Future

"Our leaders should be cutting red tape to make it easier to build vital projects and generate more power, not less."

By Tanner Avery

Montana Blockchain Innovator: Josh Schultz

"Bitcoin mining breaks the scarcity mindset in energy generation by enabling utility companies to dispose of excess amounts of power without suffering a loss."

By Tanner Avery

Public Comment On DEQ Work Group Recommendations

"Providing clear definitions should be a primary focus of any MEPA reforms."

By Frontier Institute, Tanner Avery

MEPA Blocks Montana Wind Energy

"Regardless of perspective, our current permitting process and the litigation it fosters undoubtedly led to the demise of the Coyote Wind project."

By Tanner Avery

Montana At A Crossroads

"I don’t think the ‘Montana Miracle’ is a one-time fluke. I think it can represent a new paradigm of politics in Montana, where the left and right join together in common belief that Montanans must be free to build, innovate, and progress in order to overcome the biggest challenges facing our state."

By Kendall Cotton

Montana Blockchain Innovator: Alex Shefrin

"Now is the perfect time to nurture Montanans’ entrepreneurial spirit to have this technology be home-grown right here. Montana is a great place to live – it’s time we make it a great place to build decentralized innovations."

By Tanner Avery

Lost Potential: The Middleman Project And The Consequences Of Our Permitting Processes

"The Middleman Project is a textbook example of how our federal and state environmental permitting processes are broken and fuel litigation that harms our most critical projects, even those that will ultimately be good for our environment."

By Tanner Avery

Economic Freedom: A Blueprint for Environmental Progress

"Research demonstrates that increasing prosperity, enabled by Economic Freedom, is the best tool at our disposal when tackling environmental issues."

By Tanner Avery

Derailing Collaborative Conservation: The Pintler Face Project

"Yet despite successfully achieving this collaboration, The Pintler Face Project serves as a poignant illustration of how the real problem holding vital forest management projects is actually our permitting process."

By Tanner Avery