This new method of influencing businesses is not limited to organized environmental advocacy organizations. It is equally accessible to grass root coalitions, and can be used with the same effectiveness.

In March of 1998, the Stone Container Corporation, a company primarily based in the wood pulp processing, settled with a coalition of 15 smaller citizen interest groups. The coalition, Montana CHEER, compelled the company to surrender $450,000 for environmental protection, $150,000 for alternative waste management at their plants, and to pay $50,000 in fines for past environmental violations. The coalition, upon finalizing the settlement, openly acknowledged that this settlement was actually the end goal of all their work. One of the negotiators exclaimed, "We are proud of this agreement. It affirms the role citizens have played for over 30 years in protection our community."

The settlement has been framed by both sides as a win-win proposition as a result of the reduced both sides would have to pay had they gone to court. This case is a paradigmatic example of how the law has become accessible to all groups, and it has also become a welcome addition to the bargaining table. Litigation is expensive, and as is exemplified here, companies are beginning to view settlements as a way to avoid those costs.