Environment (Climate Change)

This bill requires that any state agency rules or regulations concerning greenhouse gas emissions or the social cost of carbon must be approved by the Montana Legislature before they can take effect. It directly affects state departments, commissions, and boards that have the authority to create rules on these environmental topics. The key mechanism is a delay provision that prevents such rules from becoming effective until the legislature reviews and approves them during the next legislative session. Additionally, the bill includes instructions on how these new requirements should be added to the state's existing legal code.

This bill exempts state and local building departments from conducting greenhouse gas emissions analyses for certain appliances, vehicles, and engines under Montana's environmental review process. The exemption applies to products regulated by federal laws that preempt state authority, such as those governed by the Clean Air Act and Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as well as emissions originating outside Montana's borders. By removing these specific sources from environmental review requirements, the bill clarifies that state agencies do not need to assess greenhouse gas impacts for items where federal law already establishes national standards. The legislation also provides instructions for codifying these exemptions into existing state environmental statutes.

This bill (LC 2205) is a declarative statement by the Montana Legislature asserting the state's position on climate science, directly challenging the Montana Supreme Court's ruling in *Held v. Montana*. It disputes specific findings from the court case, including claims about human-caused warming, greenhouse gas accumulation, and climate impacts, arguing scientific consensus is irrelevant to climate science. The bill does not establish new environmental regulations, reporting requirements, or policy changes - it solely aims to formally reject the court's scientific conclusions. It addresses the legal context of the *Held* case but contains no concrete policy mechanisms or affected parties beyond the state's official stance.

HB 630 requires that certain rules established by state departments, commissions, boards, or local authorities are not effective unless approved by the legislature. Specifically, any rules related to the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions or the calculation and application of the social cost of carbon must receive legislative approval at the next legislative session. This mechanism affects agencies that issue such environmental regulations, including those pertaining to the operation of motor vehicles. The bill ensures that the legislature has final say over these specific types of administrative rules.

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.