# Montana HB 31: Revise wind and solar facility decommissioning Montana HB 31, Revise wind and solar facility decommissioning, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Neil Duram (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-16 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB31-2025 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana HB 31 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Revise wind and solar facility decommissioning - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2024-12-06 - Last action: 2025-05-16, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Neil Duram (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Energy, Environmental Protection - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (501 yes, 44 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Exemptions and bond relief for wind and solar: benefit, medium. Some owners do not have to post a state cleanup bond. You are exempt if you already posted a decommissioning bond with a federal agency, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for a state land lease, or a tribal, county, or local government. Private bonding under a lease can q… - Penalties, liens, and a cleanup fund: cost, high. If you do not post an acceptable bond within 30 days after Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) notice, DEQ can fine you up to $1,500 plus up to $1,500 per day. You can appeal the fine within 20 days of written notice. If no bond is in place or within 30 days after abandonment, DEQ files a lie… - Cleanup bonds and deadlines for wind and solar: mixed, high. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sets your cleanup bond at 100% of its calculated cost after salvage value from an independent evaluator. Bond deadlines depend on when the site started. On or before Jan 1, 2007: due before the end of year 16. After Jan 1, 2007 and before Oct 1, 2025: d… - Decommissioning plans, notices, and appeals: mixed, medium. Owners must tell the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) within 90 days after construction starts. Within 12 months after a site begins commercial operation, owners must report the start date and file a decommissioning plan with scope, costs, and any lease abstract. Owners must also give any… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Neil Duram (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Zolnikov (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-17 | House | Do Concur | pass | 99 | 0 | | | 2025-04-16 | House | Do Concur | pass | 100 | 0 | | | 2025-04-11 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 46 | 2 | | | 2025-04-10 | Senate | AMD-HB0031.002.002 Phalen D/PASS | fail | 14 | 36 | | | 2025-04-10 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 44 | 6 | | | 2025-01-21 | House | Do Pass | pass | 99 | 0 | | | 2025-01-20 | House | Do Pass | pass | 99 | 0 | | ## Actions (29) - 2025-05-16: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-12: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-05-05: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-05-02: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-22: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-18: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-17: 3rd Reading Senate Amendments (House) - 2025-04-16: 2nd Reading Senate Amendments (House) - 2025-04-11: Returned to House with Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-11: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-10: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-10: 2nd Reading Motion to Amend (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-02-18: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-02-04: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-02-04: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-01-22: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-21: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-01-21: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-01-20: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-01-16: Committee Report (House) - 2025-01-15: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-06: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-06: 1st Reading (House) - 2024-12-26: Referred to Committee (House) - 2024-12-06: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-22: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=e84500b5-ed46-4107-b734-f0cbf47cf160) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-04-09: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=99e616cc-22ef-46fa-82e6-ba180f290d06) - Introduced, 2024-12-09: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=5b7af165-0ed4-490a-ba86-22d4c829ea90) ## 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=e84500b5-ed46-4107-b734-f0cbf47cf160) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=99e616cc-22ef-46fa-82e6-ba180f290d06) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=5b7af165-0ed4-490a-ba86-22d4c829ea90) ## 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-HB31-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).