Montana State Legislature

2015-2016 Environmental Quality Council

About the Environmental Quality Council

The EQC is a state legislative committee created by the 1971 Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). The EQC has 17 members: 6 senators; 6 representatives; 4 public members; and 1 nonvoting member who represents the Governor. The statutory duties of the Council are described in 75-1-324, MCA, of MEPA and in other sections of the Montana Code Annotated.

  • REPRESENTATIVE JERRY BENNETT (R)--Vice Chair
  • REPRESENTATIVE WILLIS CURDY (D)
  • REPRESENTATIVE JANET ELLIS (D)
  • REPRESENTATIVE ED LIESER (D)
  • REPRESENTATIVE THERESA MANZELLA (R)
  • REPRESENTATIVE KERRY WHITE (R)
  • SENATOR JOHN C BRENDEN (R)
  • SENATOR JIM KEANE (D)
  • SENATOR MIKE PHILLIPS (D)
  • SENATOR RICK RIPLEY (R)
  • SENATOR CARY L SMITH (R)
  • SENATOR GENE VUCKOVICH (D)--Chair

    


Public Members

  • MR. SCOTT ASPENLIEDER
  • MS. BROOKE ERB   
  • MR. BERT LINDLER   
  • MR. ROY MORRIS

  

Governor's Representative

  • MR. TIM BAKER

   

Environmental Quality Council - Committee Topics

Study Resolutions

House Joint Resolution No. 13

-HJ 13
-A short history on road policy on federal land, revised February 2016
-Summary of road information for Montana's national forest system
-Roads closed to motorized public use in Montana's national forests
-Public access to public lands
-Current BLM travel maps
-Historic USFS Region 1 travel maps
-Interactive federal road/public access map andexplainer
-Roads, Land, and Big Game Harvest ReportInteractive MapInstructions for Map Use
-Final study report
-Fall elk distribution in the Missouri River Breaks
-Elk harvest distribution reports, FWP 201320142015

Agency Oversight

DEQ

Legislative proposal, 2017

Petroleum tank release cleanup
Site closure update, June 2015
Site closure update, Sept 2015
Site closure update, Jan 2016

Orphan share remedial action
Update, Sept 2015
Update, Jan 2016
Update, March 2016
Update, May 2016
Update, July 2016 
Update, Sept 2016

DNRC

Legislative proposals, 2017
Cabin and home site sales report, July 2015
Cabin and home site sale report, July 2016
Land banking report, July 2016
Travel management report, Sept 2016

FWP

Legislative proposals, 2017
FWP Vision and Guide, 2016-2026
PL/PW Council legislative recommendations

Bison
Year-round habitat for Yellowstone bison, EA decision
EQC letter objecting to year-round habitat
Governor's letter re: year-round habitat
YNP bison quarantine EA
YNP bison quarantine EA Executive summary
EA comments: 
Montana Dept. of Livestock
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
U.S. Department of Agriculture APHIS 
MT Attorney General letter of advice to DOL
YNP superintendent letter to EQC
EQC letter to YNP superintendent re: tribal hunting 

Elk
Shoulder season pilot project map 
Shoulder season fact sheet
Brucellosis work plan

Fishing regulations 2016-2019
Considerations
Process and timeline

Grizzly bears
Federal register notice of proposed GYE delisting
USFWS grizzly bear website
Letters from EQC in support of delisting

Hunting Access
HB 2 Report

State Parks
Final strategic plan 
Facility condition inventory Phase I memo
Facility condition inventory Phase II memo
Peer analysis report
Lands policy
Classification and prioritization policy
State parks revenue trends
Lands reconciliation 
Resource reallocation proposal

Wolf management
2014 annual report
Current wolf take by landowners, June 2015
2015 annual report

Department of Agriculture

Food and Ag Development Network
Update, Sept 2015 
FY 2015 Annual Report 
Update, March 2016
Update, July 2016
Update, Sept 2016 

Noxious weed coordination report
Sept 2015
Jan 2016
March 2016 
July 2016 
Sept 2016

Litigation Reports

DEQ
DNRC
FWP

Compliance and Enforcement Reports

DEQ
DNRC
Dept. of Ag
Program Evaluations

DNRC

Agriculture and grazing, Sept 2015
Minerals Management, Jan 2016
Forest Management, March 2016
Real estate management, July 2016

DEQ

Industrial and energy minerals, Sept 2015
Hard rock mining and major facility siting, July 2016
Air resources management, Sept 2016
Waste and underground tank management, Sept 2016

FWP

Wildlife conflict management, Sept 2015
Hunting Access, Jan 2016
Hunting Access financial chart, Jan 2016
-Block Management, 1999 Performance Audit Report
-Block Management, 1999 Audit Follow Up
-Block Management, 2013 Performance Audit Report
-Block Management, 2013 Audit follow up
Nongame, threatened, and endangered species, Jan 2016
Habitat Management, March 2016
Wildlife management, May 2016

Subcommittees

111(d) - Subcommittee
Draft letter to the attorney general

Sage Grouse

-DNRC modified FTE request
-Governor Bullock BLM RMP consistency review letter
-BLM consistency review response to Governor Bullock
-Montana and BLM Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Strategy Comparison
-BLM Greater Sage-grouse Disturbance Caps
-BLM GRSG Effects Analysis Process
-MT sage grouse habitat conservation program (Executive Order No. 10-2014)
(Executive Order No. 12-2015)
-National funding summary
-Related acronyms
-EQC letter re: translocation of sage grouse
-MSGOT grant approval list, May 2016
-Grant applicant summary
-Grant recommendations by program staff

Maps:
-Sage grouse habitat, Montana conservation strategy
-Sage grouse habitat, BLM conservation strategy
-BLM split estate in sage grouse habitat
-State trust lands split estate in sage grouse habitat

Other Topics

Colstrip
Washington State Senate Work Session, Oct. 28, 2015
-Agenda and Participants
-Audio link
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Legislation and cover letter
Senate Bill 6248, introduced 1/12/16
Oregon Clean Electricity & Coal Transition Plan
Colstrip administrative order of consent, July 2016

Natural resource legislation summary, 2015

Proposed Rules - 2015-16 Interim

 

*The complete text for any of the proposed rules listed below, including any hearing information, may be accessed by visiting http://mtrules.org and entering the MAR Notice Number in the "Search by Notice No." field in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

Additional information regarding rulemaking and the Legislature's role in the administrative rulemaking process may be accessed here.


Department of Environmental Quality and administratively attached entities (rules proposed after 1/1/2015)

MAR Notice Date MAR Notice Number* Agency, Board or Commission Subject Staff Memo/Other Documents
2/12/2015 17-368 DEQ Hazardous waste registration (adopted) N/A
2/12/2015 17-369 BER Air quality -- incorporation by reference (adopted) N/A
7/16/2015 17-370 DEQ

Vessel pump out facilities (adopted)

N/A
7/30/15 17-371 DEQ Asbestos control (not adopted within 6-month deadline) N/A
8/13/2015 17-372 BER

Air quality (adopted)

N/A
9/10/2015 17-373 DEQ MEPA (not adopted within 6-month deadline) N/A
10/15/2015 17-374 DEQ Water treatment systems and operators (adopted) N/A
10/29/2015 17-375 BER

Emission standards for existing aluminum plants (adopted)

N/A
11/12/2015 17-376 BER Reclamation -- Opencut Mining Act (adopted) N/A
11/25/2015 17-377 DEQ Occupational noise and air contaminants (adopted) N/A
12/24/2015 17-378 BER Water pollution/water quality/public water supply and sewage system requirements (adopted) N/A
12/24/2015 17-379 BER Subdivisions/on-site subsurface wastewater treatment/public water and sewage system requirements/solid waste management (adopted) N/A
12/24/2015 17-380 DEQ Subdivisions/on-site subsurface wastewater treatment (adopted) N/A
1/8/2016 17-381 DEQ Solid waste transportation -- oilfield exploration and production waste (adopted) N/A
4/8/2016 17-382 BER Major open burning source restrictions, conditional air quality open burning permits, Christmas tree waste open burning permits, commercial film production open burning permits, firefighter training, conditions for issuance or denial of permit, and general requirements for air quality operating permit content (adopted) N/A
5/6/2016 17-383 BER

Air quality -- averaging period for the PM-2.5 significant monitoring concentration

(no public hearing contemplated)

N/A
7/8/2016 17-384 BER

Air quality -- incorporation by reference--publication dates and incorporation by reference and availability of referenced documents

(no public hearing contemplated)

N/A
7/22/2016 17-385 DEQ Underground storage tanks (pending) N/A


Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and administratively attached entities (rules proposed after 1/1/2015)

MAR Notice Date MAR Notice Number* Agency, Board or Commission Subject Staff Memo/Other Documents
1/29/2015 12-439 Fish & Wildlife Commission Recreational use on Silver Lake, Deer Lodge County (not adopted) N/A
3/6/2015 12-440 Fish & Wildlife Commission Recreational use on the Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (adopted) N/A
3/6/2015 12-441 Fish & Wildlife Commission Fishing contests (adopted) N/A
5/14/2015 12-442 Fish & Wildlife Commission

Recreational use on Silver Lake, Deer Lodge County (adopted)

N/A
5/28/2015 12-443 Fish & Wildlife Commission Exotic species classification (adopted) N/A
6/25/2015 12-444 Fish & Wildlife Commission Apprentice hunter certificate (adopted) N/A
7/16/2015 12-445 FWP Game damage hunts (adopted) N/A
10/29/2015 12-446 Fish & Wildlife Commission

State land access tax credit (adopted)

N/A
10/29/2015 12-458 Fish & Wildlife Commission

Removal of fishing shelter (adopted)

N/A
2/19/2016 12-459 FWP

Bait seining (adopted)

N/A
2/19/2016 12-460 FWP Aquatic invasive species (adopted) N/A
2/19/2016 12-461 Fish & Wildlife Commission Temporary client days on the Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers (adopted) N/A
3/18/2016 12-462 State Parks and Recreation Board State Parks Public Use (adopted) N/A
8/2/2016 12-463 FWP Temporary emergency rule -- Bitterroot River N/A


Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and administratively attached entities (rules proposed after 1/1/2015)

MAR Notice Date

MAR Notice Number* Agency, Board or Commission Subject Staff Memo/Other Documents
1/29/2015 36-22-162 DNRC/Board of Land Commissioners Conservation strategies on forested state trust lands (not adopted within 6-month deadline) N/A
8/13/2015 36-22-181 DNRC Water reservations (adopted) N/A
6/25/2015 36-22-186(temporary rule) DNRC Certification of carbon sequestration equipment -- temporary rule (adopted) N/A
9/10/2015 36-22-187 Board of Oil and Gas Certification of carbon sequestration equipment (adopted) N/A
11/12/2015 36-22-180 DNRC Controlled groundwater area -- East Helena, Montana (adopted) N/A
12/24/2015 36-22-182 DNRC Establishment of stream depletion zone (adopted) N/A
1/8/2016 36-22-191 DNRC/Land Board Grizzly bear conservation measures for Stillwater and Coal Creek State Forests (adopted) N/A
2/5/2016 36-22-184 DNRC Cabin Site Leasing (adopted) N/A
5/2/2016 36-22-192 Board of Oil and Gas Oil and gas privilege and license tax (pending) N/A

The EQC will begin to develop draft legislation based on its findings in the fall before the 2017 Legislative Session. The committee's legislative proposals will be listed here at that time.

Montana Environmental Policy Act -- (MEPA)

Links to State Agency EAs and EISs

Department Of Environmental Quality

Department Of Fish, Wildlife And Parks

Department Of Natural Resources And Conservation

Department Of Transportation

Legislative Environmental Policy Office Publications

To order a printed copy of a report, please call (406) 444-3742.

2017-2018

2015-2016

2013-2014

2011-2012

2009-2010

2007-2008

2005-2006

2003-2004

2001-2002

1999-2000

1997-1998

1995-1996

1993-1994

1991-1992

1989-1990

1987-1988

1985-1986

1983-1984

1981-1982

1979-1980

1977-1978

1975-1976

1973-1974

1971-1972

decorative leaves element