House Bill 270 amends the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) to revise the environmental review process and the associated legal remedies. Key changes include the stipulation that challenges to agency decisions can only be initiated by individuals who have submitted formal comments during the review process, and any legal action must be based solely on issues raised in those comments. The bill also establishes a 60-day timeframe for filing challenges and restricts court reviews to the certified record provided by the agency, disallowing new information unless it meets specific criteria. Additionally, the bill removes previous provisions that allowed challenges based on greenhouse gas emissions unless mandated by federal law.

The bill introduces stricter requirements for obtaining temporary restraining orders or injunctions, requiring challengers to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits and to post a written undertaking for potential costs incurred by the opposing party. It also clarifies that attorney fees cannot be awarded to the prevailing party in these challenges. Overall, the amendments aim to streamline the environmental review process while ensuring that the interests of project sponsors and regulatory agencies are balanced, thereby enhancing the efficiency and clarity of environmental reviews in Montana.

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