House Bill No. introduced by P. Tuss establishes the Montana Brownfields Revitalization Act, which focuses on the assessment and cleanup of contaminated properties, known as brownfields, to encourage their redevelopment. The bill creates the Montana Brownfields Fund to finance environmental remediation and redevelopment activities, while also defining eligible entities and establishing criteria for responsible parties involved in brownfield sites. The Department of Environmental Quality is granted rulemaking authority to effectively implement the program. Importantly, the bill repeals the existing Montana Petroleum Brownfields Revitalization Act and introduces new statutory appropriations for the brownfields site redevelopment fund, which will be supported by legislative appropriations and donations.

Additionally, the bill amends laws related to petroleum storage tank releases, particularly concerning corrective action plans that owners or operators must follow. It establishes a framework for stakeholder meetings when costs exceed $100,000 and allows optional meetings for lower-cost releases, while also requiring local and tribal government input in the review and approval process of corrective action plans. The bill removes a specific legal reference and clarifies that once a corrective action plan is approved, local or tribal governments cannot impose additional requirements. It also mandates notification of tribal governments about the act and includes provisions for transferring funds from the general fund to the Brownfields Site Redevelopment Fund for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, aiming to streamline the corrective action process while ensuring compliance and oversight.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(1): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(2): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(3): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(4): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(5): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1(6): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_1: 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(1): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(10): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(11): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(12): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(13): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(2): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(3): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(4): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(5): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(6): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(7): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(8): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2(9): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_2: 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(1): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(10): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(2): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(3): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(4): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(5): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(6): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(7): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(8): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3(9): 17-7-502, 75-11-309
HB0808_3: 17-7-502, 75-11-309