Generally revise the Montana environmental policy act
SB 221 revises the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) by establishing new requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) assessments during state agency environmental reviews. Under this bill, state agencies are mandated to conduct GHG assessments for proposed actions classified as "fossil fuel activities." For other proposed actions, agencies may conduct a GHG assessment if deemed necessary for MEPA compliance. The bill clarifies that these assessments are for informational purposes, and state agencies cannot regulate greenhouse gas emissions or deny permits based solely on these GHG assessments under MEPA. This affects Montana state agencies conducting environmental reviews and entities proposing fossil fuel-related projects.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Jan 28, 2025
Signed May 5, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
SB0221_2(10).pdf
→
SB0221_X.pdf
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill clarifies how Montana's environmental review process handles greenhouse gas emissions following court rulings that limited the Department of Environmental Quality's authority to regulate them. The legislation establishes a requirement for agencies to conduct greenhouse gas assessments for fossil fuel projects while explicitly stating that greenhouse gases will not be regulated through permits.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of environmental reviews to specifically require greenhouse gas assessments for fossil fuel activities, while simultaneously removing the authority to deny permits based on greenhouse gas emissions.
REQUIREMENT
Requires state agencies to conduct greenhouse gas assessments for proposed actions defined as fossil fuel activities under existing law.
DEFINITION
Clarifies that greenhouse gas assessments are intended to satisfy informational requirements under the Environmental Policy Act without creating regulatory authority over emissions.
ENFORCEMENT
Removes the ability of agencies to withhold, deny, or impose conditions on permits based solely on greenhouse gas emissions analysis.
SCOPE
Adds explicit legislative intent that greenhouse gas analysis should be conducted for fossil fuel projects to ensure public information about impacts.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2025 · House Apr 10, 2025
How they voted
37–13
Passed
Total votes 50
Feb 13, 2025
D
Democratic18
72% Nay
R
Republican32
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
37
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 1, 2025
Signed into law
(S) Signed by Governor
upper
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Apr 10, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (63-35-2)
house
Mar 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Feb 14, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (37-13)
senate
Feb 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Feb 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Wylie Galt
RRepublican
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