House Bill No. introduced by C. Schomer, S. Fitzpatrick, and B. Mitchell seeks to exempt certain state agencies and departments from conducting greenhouse gas emissions analyses for appliances, vehicles, and engines under the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). The bill recognizes that federal laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, preempt state regulations on these matters, thereby limiting the state's authority to analyze greenhouse gas emissions from covered products or appliances. Consequently, the bill proposes that the department and local building departments be exempt from MEPA provisions regarding greenhouse gas emissions analysis for the adoption or enforcement of building codes.

The bill includes new sections that specifically outline these exemptions. Section 1 states that the department and local building departments are not required to analyze greenhouse gases from covered products when enforcing building codes. Section 2 clarifies that the department is not obligated to perform greenhouse gas emissions analyses beyond the state's borders for certain motor vehicles and engines, while also removing the previous requirement to analyze emissions beyond state borders. The bill aims to streamline regulatory processes in light of existing federal preemptions, ensuring that state agencies can operate without conflicting with federal law.