# Montana HB 270: Revise remedies to MEPA Montana HB 270, Revise remedies to MEPA, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Katie Zolnikov (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-05 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB270-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana HB 270 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Revise remedies to MEPA - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-21 - Last action: 2025-05-05, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Katie Zolnikov (Republican) - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: Environmental Protection, Courts - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (463 yes, 81 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 16 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Faster reviews and fewer permit holds: benefit, medium. An agency may extend a review deadline once, by up to 50% of the original time, with written reasons. A sponsor can ask the board to review that extension. If the review time runs out, the agency cannot withhold the permit just for delay. It can withhold only with a written finding that issuing it… - Faster reviews and sponsor rights: benefit, medium. The law sets firm clocks: 60 days for scoping, 90 days for an environmental review, and 180 days for a detailed statement after a complete application. A project sponsor can ask a board to review a significance finding, and the review time does not count against the deadlines. A sponsor may speak a… - Harder to block permits in court: benefit, medium. Courts face stricter rules before stopping a permit or license. A challenger must be more likely than not to win, show irreparable harm, and prove blocking the permit is in the public interest. The judge must make written findings that include local and state economic impacts and tailor any order a… - Tighter rules to challenge reviews: benefit, medium. Only people who filed formal comments before the final decision can sue, and only on issues they raised. Cases must be filed within 60 days of the action. Courts review only the certified agency record and usually cannot consider new evidence. Challengers must prove claims by clear and convincing e… - Simple permit transfers skip new review: benefit, low. Selling or transferring a permit, lease, or similar right does not trigger a new environmental review if the terms do not materially change. Routine ownership changes can go forward without extra review. - Limits on agency info and design demands: benefit, low. Agencies may ask sponsors only for information that is relevant to the environmental review. Agencies cannot require more engineering design detail than needed to fairly evaluate the project. A sponsor can ask the board to review an agency’s design-detail request. A sponsor may also escalate disput… - Narrower review of future impacts and transfers: benefit, low. Agencies consider cumulative impacts, but only count future related actions that an agency is reviewing at the same time. A transfer of ownership in a lease, permit, license, or other entitlement does not trigger a new detailed statement when terms do not materially change, unless another law says… - Broader analysis and local input in reviews: benefit, low. Agencies must consider environmental benefits that are hard to measure, not just costs and engineering. They must check how rules affect private property and look at options that reduce those impacts when property is regulated. The official must consult state agencies and affected local governments… - Clearer rules for project alternatives: benefit, low. Agencies may study only realistic alternatives that work with current technology and are economically feasible based on similar projects, not a sponsor’s finances. Agencies must consult sponsors and give weight to sponsor comments. Reviews must include a meaningful no‑action alternative and check r… - Environmental review cannot block permits: benefit, low. Agencies may not deny, withhold, or add conditions to a permit based on the state environmental review parts 1–3. A sponsor may still ask the agency to add agreed measures to a permit. - Guidance for greenhouse gas reviews: benefit, low. Environmental reviews may include a greenhouse gas assessment when allowed under Senate Bill 221. The Department of Environmental Quality must publish guidance on when to do one and what methods to use. The department must post a draft and take public comments before finalizing the guidance. - Project sponsors can join lawsuits: benefit, low. If you are seeking a permit, license, lease, or similar approval and are not a named defendant, you can intervene as of right in a case that challenges the decision. This lets sponsors defend their projects directly in court. - Utility rate cases exempt from MEPA: benefit, low. The Department of Public Service Regulation does not do MEPA Parts 1–3 reviews when setting rates and charges for railroads, motor carriers, and public utilities. Rate cases can move without environmental review under those parts. - Challengers face higher court costs: cost, low. Agencies may charge challengers the actual cost to compile and submit the certified record to the court. Courts cannot award attorney fees or costs to the winner in these review cases. You cannot base a lawsuit only on a customer fiscal impact analysis or claim it was inadequate. - Tighter court rules for environmental cases: mixed, medium. Only people who filed formal comments can sue, and only on issues they raised. You must file within 60 days after the final agency action; for state land actions, the clock starts on the later of the final review document or the board’s approval. Courts mainly review the certified agency record, an… - Mixed rules on greenhouse gas reviews: mixed, low. Agencies may include greenhouse gas and climate impacts in environmental reviews. However, they may not include a greenhouse gas assessment when it falls under section 1 of Senate Bill 221. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Katie Zolnikov (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Wylie Galt (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-15 | House | Do Concur | pass | 64 | 33 | | | 2025-04-14 | House | Do Concur | pass | 61 | 39 | | | 2025-04-04 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 44 | 5 | | | 2025-04-03 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 47 | 2 | | | 2025-03-26 | Senate | Rerefer to Natural Resources-Galt | pass | 48 | 2 | | | 2025-02-13 | House | Do Pass | pass | 99 | 0 | | | 2025-02-12 | House | Do Pass | pass | 100 | 0 | | ## Actions (30) - 2025-05-05: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-01: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-04-22: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-04-21: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-04-18: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-15: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-15: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-15: 3rd Reading Senate Amendments (House) - 2025-04-14: 2nd Reading Senate Amendments (House) - 2025-04-04: Returned to House with Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-04: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-03: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-02: 2nd Reading Pass Consideration (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-03-28: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-03-26: Rereferred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-03-24: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-03-21: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-02-21: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-02-14: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-14: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-02-13: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-02-12: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-02-10: Committee Report (House) - 2025-02-07: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-27: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-22: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-01-22: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-01-21: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-15: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=21511844-5276-4467-9823-7a97f5f87f77) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-03-31: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=46ee4b98-2603-44e0-b246-d6f0c641a88e) - Introduced, 2025-01-21: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=9773a788-07fc-4e39-a8d5-b2c63f17d5ce) ## Related bills - SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed) - HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed) - HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed) - SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed) - SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) - SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=21511844-5276-4467-9823-7a97f5f87f77) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=46ee4b98-2603-44e0-b246-d6f0c641a88e) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=9773a788-07fc-4e39-a8d5-b2c63f17d5ce) ## Related - [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025) - [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025) - [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025) - [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025) - [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025) - [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills) - [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB270-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).