House Bill 270 amends the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) to revise the environmental review process and the requirements for challenging agency decisions. Key changes include stipulating that challenges can only be made by individuals who submitted formal comments prior to the agency's final decision and establishing a 60-day window for initiating such challenges. The bill emphasizes that the court's review will be limited to the certified record provided by the agency, and challengers must prove their claims with clear and convincing evidence. Additionally, it introduces provisions allowing courts to remand cases to agencies for correcting noncompliance and sets stricter criteria for issuing injunctions against permits, requiring proof of a likelihood of success and a violation of law.

The bill also removes previous language that restricted evaluations of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews unless mandated by federal law, thereby broadening the grounds for legal challenges. It specifies that attorney fees cannot be awarded to the prevailing party in noncompliance challenges and clarifies that agencies cannot withhold permits based on environmental review requirements unless there is a likelihood of violating statutory or regulatory requirements. Overall, the bill aims to streamline the environmental review process while ensuring that project sponsors have avenues for recourse and input, and it includes provisions for the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions contingent upon guidance from the Department of Environmental Quality.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(1): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(10): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(11): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(12): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(2): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(3): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(4): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(5): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(6): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(7): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(8): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1(9): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_1: 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(1): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(10): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(11): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(12): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(13): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(14): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(15): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(16): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(17): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(18): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(19): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(2): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(3): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(4): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(5): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(6): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(7): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(8): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2(9): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_2: 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(1): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(2): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(3): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(4): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(5): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(6): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(7): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(8): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X(9): 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208
HB0270_X: 75-1-102, 75-1-201, 75-1-208