Our Team

Jenny Harbine

Managing Attorney Northern Rockies Office

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Media Inquiries

Perry Wheeler
Public Affairs and Communications Strategist
(202) 792-6211
pwheeler@earthjustice.org

Bar Admissions

MT, CA (inactive)

Jenny Harbine is the managing attorney of the Northern Rockies regional office, leading advocacy to protect the region’s wild landscapes and wildlife, prevent and remedy the harmful impacts of fossil fuel development, and promote a transition to clean renewable energy.

Jenny developed her passion for environmental protection growing up in Missoula, Montana, where she was surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty and a community that strongly connected with the land.

Prior to joining Earthjustice in 2006, Jenny was an attorney at a small environmental and land use law firm in San Francisco, California. She is a 2003 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

The Latest from Jenny Harbine

April 10, 2024

In the News: Missoulian

William Walks Along, Northern Cheyenne tribal leader, mentor and advocate dies at 64

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“In law, you always act in partnership with the clients you’re working with. With William, it was really a question of following his lead. Following the tribe’s lead. He taught us the value of respecting the leadership of people who have been the fiercest advocates and a moral compass on the issues we collectively care about.”
March 4, 2024

In the News: Montana Free Press

Petitioners ask Montana utility board to integrate climate impacts into regulatory decisions

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“If the commission decides not to abide by those constitutional obligations, it certainly subjects itself to legal arguments that it acted unlawfully. We’re hoping we don’t have to cross that bridge.”
February 27, 2024

In the News: Great Falls Tribune

Supreme Court approves copper mine near edge of beloved Smith River

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“Montanans and the wildlife who depend on pristine water quality and adequate flows in the Smith River deserve no less than the full protections afforded by these laws.”
June 23, 2023

In the News: Montana Free Press

The Montana Supreme Court takes up permitting for Black Butte copper project

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

"It's not enough to say that there's a pretty good chance that this mine will operate as planned and environmental harm will be avoided. That's not what the statute requires, and that's not good enough for the Smith River or its tributaries, which have irreplaceable values to Montana fisheries and residents alike."
Landscape aerial photo of large open pit coal mine.
June 12, 2023

It Is Time To End the Era of Coal

By Jenny Harbine

Continuing to mine coal from public lands is fundamentally incompatible with the urgent action required to protect communities and combat climate change.
North Antelope Mine in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
September 23, 2022

The Biden Administration Must End Our Reliance on Coal

By Jenny Harbine

The U.S. coal leasing program is an outdated relic of the past that must be phased out immediately

The North Antelope Rochelle Mine, located in Campbell County, Wyoming, about 65 miles south of Gillette in the Powder River Basin.
September 22, 2022

The Biden Administration Must Act on Coal Leasing on Public Lands

By Jenny Harbine

The administration has refused to reinstate an Obama-era moratorium as U.S. coal consumption rises

July 14, 2022

In the News: High Country News

The EPA has more options to rein in climate change than you think

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“It’s really hard to see the administration issue press releases about how they’re adopting a multi-pollutant strategy to address greenhouse gases and know this very low-hanging fruit is sitting there in the state of Utah.”
January 27, 2022

In the News: Washington Post

Biden fails to change course on fossil fuels, despite a bold campaign pledge

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“The opportunity costs of not doing something will be felt generations into the future if this administration doesn’t reverse course quickly and begin to align its actions with its words.”
August 19, 2021

In the News: Colorado Sun

Interior Department launches review of climate damage from coal mining on public lands

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“We’re sitting here in record heat and choking wildfires. There couldn’t be a more important time of the administration to take action to end fossil fuel production from our federal lands.”
August 19, 2021

In the News: Washington Post

As Biden urges global warming action, courts shape climate policy at home

Quoted: Jenny Harbine

“There’s a false narrative that is out there that the market will take care of coal, and all we need to do is focus on oil and gas. Coal will not take care of itself on the time frame that’s needed to address our climate crisis.”
coal ash waste
September 6, 2016

Montana Residents Must Curb Water Use — To Perpetuate Dirty Coal Power

By Jenny Harbine

Global warming, exacerbated by coal development, has led to record-low water flows in the Yellowstone River.