This bill amends Montana's Environmental Policy Act to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling, requiring state agencies to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews. It removes previous language that prohibited considering greenhouse gases and mandates that agencies analyze alternatives to proposed projects, including a meaningful no-action alternative that assesses environmental, social, and economic impacts if a project is not completed. The changes also require agencies to examine how regulations affect private property rights and ensure that environmental assessments include customer fiscal impact analyses where applicable. These provisions apply to all state agencies except the legislature and affect the process for reviewing state-sponsored projects that could impact Montana's environment.
This Montana House resolution (HR 2) expresses legislative support for expanding critical minerals development within the state. It urges state, federal, tribal, and local entities to advance exploration, processing, and recycling of minerals like rare earth elements, platinum group metals, and others found in Montana's geology. The resolution highlights Montana's existing mining infrastructure and aims to strengthen domestic supply chains for technologies, energy, and defense - reducing reliance on foreign sources like China. As a symbolic resolution (not binding law), it directs Montana's delegation to advocate for these projects but does not create new regulations or funding.
HB 579 would have required local governments, such as cities, counties, and irrigation districts, to establish and continually fund capital reserve accounts. To be eligible for grants and loans from programs like the Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program, these local governments would need to deposit either 10% of certain water-related revenues or $5 per acre-foot for specific dam owners into these accounts. The funds in these accounts could only be used for infrastructure projects with an estimated cost of at least $50,000. This bill would also have made a local government's ability to fund these capital reserve accounts a consideration in prioritizing financial assistance.
SB 343 would change how Montana allocates remaining coal severance tax revenue after other specified uses. Currently, until 2027, interest income from the coal trust fund is sent to the general fund for specific programs like agriculture development, small business centers, and library services. This bill amends the law to redirect all remaining coal tax revenue (after other allocations) directly to the coal severance tax permanent fund starting July 1, 2027, instead of the general fund. The policy change would shift funding away from current general fund programs toward the coal trust fund, which supports coal-dependent communities and projects.
HB 660, titled "Require rules to limit GHG emissions," would have mandated the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to develop specific rules for limiting greenhouse gas emissions. This bill sought to amend existing state law (Section 75-2-112, MCA) by requiring the DEQ to create regulations to protect public health, safety, welfare, and the environment from these emissions. The legislation directly affects the DEQ by expanding its regulatory responsibilities to include greenhouse gases.
HB 6 implements the Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program by appropriating funds to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The bill allocates specific amounts for various grant types, including emergency projects, planning, irrigation development, private projects, and nonpoint source pollution reduction. Additionally, it appropriates $5.25 million for prioritized infrastructure grant projects to specific cities, towns, and water districts for improvements to wastewater systems, drinking water infrastructure, and stormwater control. Funds for these prioritized projects are awarded in a specified order until available money is expended.
HB 760 establishes consumer protection laws for individuals purchasing residential solar energy systems in Montana. It grants solar buyers a 3-business-day right to cancel a contract after signing, requiring written notification to the solar company or agent. Solar sales agents must provide a written explanation of these cancellation rights, which the customer must acknowledge. Additionally, the bill prohibits solar companies and sales agents from making deceptive statements about the costs, financing, or terms of solar energy system purchases during solicitations.
This bill reclassifies certain wind energy facilities from Property Tax Class Fourteen to Class Thirteen in Montana. Currently, wind facilities are excluded from Class Seven (taxed at 8%) but fall under a higher-tier classification; this change moves them to Class Thirteen, which is taxed at 6% of market value. The bill amends Montana Code Annotated sections 15-6-137 and 15-6-156 to explicitly include wind generation facilities under Class Thirteen’s tax rate. This directly affects wind energy facility owners by reducing their property tax burden from 8% to 6%. The change applies immediately and retroactively, affecting existing facilities without requiring new construction.
Montana's LC 1611, the "Montana Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Act," requires local governments (municipalities and counties with 20,000+ residents) to adopt standardized permitting rules for electric vehicle charging stations by 2027. It mandates that local governments either adopt a state-developed model code, establish objective standards (avoiding subjective decisions), or maintain existing processes, while reporting on permit approvals and processing times. The bill also creates eligibility for state loans to local governments that comply with the new rules. This directly affects local government permitting agencies and businesses installing EV charging infrastructure by streamlining approvals and reducing delays.
This bill redefines which energy infrastructure qualifies as "class fourteen property" for tax purposes in Montana, directly affecting developers and owners of specific renewable energy and carbon capture facilities. It expands the existing definition to include new categories like sustainable aviation fuel production facilities (added in subsection bb) and clarifies criteria for transmission lines (subsections x, y, z). The key change is expanding eligibility for this special tax classification to cover more renewable energy projects and infrastructure, without altering the tax rate itself. This affects entities building qualifying wind, biomass, geothermal, storage, and carbon capture facilities that commenced construction after specified dates. The bill amends Montana Code Annotated §15-6-157 to reflect these updated definitions.
