Energy

SB 188 establishes Montana's "Solar Shares Act," creating a new framework for shared solar energy programs. It defines "shared solar facilities" (50kW-5MW systems serving multiple customers in the same utility area) and requires utilities to interconnect them, replacing net metering with "on-bill credits" for subscribing customers. Key provisions include: utilities must apply credits to subscribers' bills based on their share of generation, facilities must be within the utility's service territory, and credits can transfer between accounts or support low-income programs. The bill directly affects public utilities, shared solar facility owners, and residential/commercial customers who subscribe to shared solar.

HB 623 establishes the conditions under which temporary spent nuclear fuel storage facilities can be sited within the state. It specifies that such facilities must be located on the site of an existing nuclear power generating facility and store fuel produced by that facility. Authorization for these facilities also requires a state recommendation from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a license from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill amends existing law to clarify the DEQ's role in reviewing federal applications for these facilities, requiring applicants to submit their federal applications to the DEQ and pay a fee for the department's review and participation in federal proceedings.

HB 703 exempts specific state and local agencies in Montana from analyzing greenhouse gas emissions during certain environmental reviews. The bill states that the state department and local building departments are no longer required to analyze greenhouse gas emissions from covered appliances when adopting or enforcing building codes. It also exempts the state department from analyzing greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles, engines, and nonroad vehicles, and emissions originating outside the state's borders. The bill cites federal preemption laws as the basis for these exemptions from environmental review.

House Bill 696 establishes a framework for the legislative approval of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities within Montana. It authorizes such facilities if they reprocess fuel from in-state or out-of-state sources, receive a state recommendation from the Department of Environmental Quality, and obtain a federal license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill also amends existing law, requiring companies applying to federal energy or nuclear regulatory commissions to notify the state's Department of Environmental Quality and pay a fee to support the department's review and participation in federal proceedings.