2009 Montana Legislature

HOUSE BILL NO. 483

INTRODUCED BY L. JONES, ANKNEY, AUGARE, BELCOURT, BLACK, KEANE, MEHLHOFF, VILLA

AN ACT REVISING ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS RELATED TO ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS; REVISING BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW HEARING REQUEST PROCEDURES; REQUIRING A WRITTEN UNDERTAKING TO BE GIVEN BY CERTAIN PARTIES REQUESTING A HEARING OR A STAY BEFORE A COURT OR THE BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW; MODIFYING THE EXPIRATION DATE REQUIREMENTS FOR A PERMIT OR LICENSE UNDER THE AIR QUALITY LAWS; CLARIFYING THE USE OF BEST AVAILABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE; ESTABLISHING DEADLINES FOR THE BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW TO ISSUE A FINAL DECISION UNDER THE AIR QUALITY LAWS AND THE MAJOR FACILITY SITING ACT; AMENDING SECTIONS 2-4-623, 2-4-702, 75-2-103, 75-2-211, 75-5-103, AND 75-20-223, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Energy development project -- hearing and procedures. (1) (a) When the department approves or denies the application for a permit under 75-2-211 for an energy development project, the applicant or a person who has provided the department with formal comments and who is directly and adversely affected by the department's decision may request a hearing before the board. If the department provided an opportunity for public comment on the application, the request for a hearing must be limited to those issues raised in comments made to the department during the comment period unless the issues are related to a material change in federal or state law made during the comment period, to a judicial decision issued after the comment period, or to a material change to the draft permit, which was submitted for public comment, made by the department in the final permit decision and upon which the public did not have a meaningful opportunity to comment. The request for hearing must be filed within 30 days after the department renders its decision. An affidavit setting forth the grounds for the request must be filed with the request for a hearing.

(b) (i) If a hearing is requested by a person other than the applicant for or permittee of an energy development project, the applicant or permittee may, by filing a written election with the board within 15 days of receipt of the request for hearing, elect to have the matter proceed to hearing before the board or to have the matter submitted directly to the district court for judicial review of the agency decision. The party who requests the hearing may elect to have the matter submitted either to the board for a hearing or to the district court for judicial review by submitting a written election to the board with the request for hearing. If there are conflicting elections between the parties, the matter must proceed to district court.

(ii) If the applicant or permittee is not the person who requested the hearing and has elected to have the matter submitted to the district court, the person who submitted the request for a hearing shall file a petition for review of the permit decision within 15 days of receipt of notice from the permittee. If the person who requested the hearing has elected to have the matter proceed to district court, that person shall file a petition in district court within 15 days of filing the request.

(iii) The petition must be limited to matters raised in the request for hearing and must be filed in the county in which the facility is located.

(iv) If a party does not elect to submit the matter directly to district court, the matter must proceed through the contested case process before the board pursuant to the Montana Administrative Procedure Act.

(v) The board or the district court shall apply the laws and rules in place when the department issued its decision, and the board or the district court may not consider any issue that was not presented to the department for the department's consideration during the formal comment period unless the issue is related to a material change in federal or state law made during the comment period, to a judicial decision issued after the comment period or to a material change to the draft permit, which was submitted for public comment, made by the department in the final permit decision and upon which the public did not have a meaningful opportunity to comment.

(c) (i) Except as provided in subsection (1)(c)(ii), if the person requesting the hearing is not the applicant or permittee of an energy development project, the board or the district court shall require a written undertaking to be given by the party requesting the hearing for the payment of costs and damages incurred by the permit applicant and its employees if the request for a hearing or judicial review was for an improper purpose designed to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or improperly interfere with the issuance of the permit without a reasonable basis in law or fact.

(ii) The board or the district court may not require a written undertaking if the party requesting the hearing is an indigent person.

(d) If grounds for requesting the hearing are based on alleged error in applying best available control technology requirements, the board or the district court shall give deference to the best available control technology determination made by the department. The board or the district court may not reject the best available control technology determination unless the determination was incorrect as a matter of law or the factual basis for the determination was clearly erroneous.

(2) The board shall issue a final decision within 4 months from the close of the hearing on the merits or, if no hearing is held, within 3 months from the date that briefing by the parties is complete unless the applicant or permittee and the party other than the applicant or permittee agree in writing to an extension of time. The board shall require the parties to prepare the case for hearing without unreasonable delay.

(3) (a) Any requirement in a permit to commence construction, installation, or alteration within a certain time period is tolled during a contested case or judicial review proceeding, but not by more than 12 months, unless the applicant or permittee in its discretion waives the tolling in writing.

(b) If there are multiple appeals of one permit, tolling under this subsection (3) may not exceed a total of 12 months for all appeals.

(c) The applicant may not engage in construction during the period that the time period is tolled under subsection (3)(a).

(4) The department shall, for good cause shown, waive for up to 1 year any requirement that construction of an energy development project must proceed with due diligence. During the period that a waiver is in effect, an air quality permit does not expire because construction of an energy development project failed to proceed with due diligence.

Section 2. Section 2-4-623, MCA, is amended to read:

"2-4-623. Final orders -- notification -- availability. (1) (a) A final decision or order adverse to a party in a contested case must be in writing. A final decision must include findings of fact and conclusions of law, separately stated. Findings of fact, if set forth in statutory language, must be accompanied by a concise and explicit statement of the underlying facts supporting the findings. A Except as provided in [section 1] and 75-20-223, a final decision must be issued within 90 days after a contested case is considered to be submitted for a final decision unless, for good cause shown, the period is extended for an additional time not to exceed 30 days.

(b) If an agency intends to issue a final written decision in a contested case that grants or denies relief and the relief that is granted or denied differs materially from a final agency decision that was orally announced on the record, the agency may not issue the final written decision without first providing notice to the parties and an opportunity to be heard before the agency.

(2) Findings of fact must be based exclusively on the evidence and on matters officially noticed.

(3) Each conclusion of law must be supported by authority or by a reasoned opinion.

(4) If, in accordance with agency rules, a party submitted proposed findings of fact, the decision must include a ruling upon each proposed finding.

(5) Parties must be notified by mail of any decision or order. Upon request, a copy of the decision or order must be delivered or mailed in a timely manner to each party and to each party's attorney of record.

(6) Each agency shall index and make available for public inspection all final decisions and orders, including declaratory rulings under 2-4-501. An agency decision or order is not valid or effective against any person or party, and it may not be invoked by the agency for any purpose until it has been made available for public inspection as required in this section. This provision is not applicable in favor of any person or party who has actual knowledge of the decision or order or when a state statute or federal statute or regulation prohibits public disclosure of the contents of a decision or order."

Section 3. Section 2-4-702, MCA, is amended to read:

"2-4-702. Initiating judicial review of contested cases. (1) (a) A Except as provided in [section 1] and 75-20-223, a person who has exhausted all administrative remedies available within the agency and who is aggrieved by a final written decision in a contested case is entitled to judicial review under this chapter. This section does not limit use of or the scope of judicial review available under other means of review, redress, relief, or trial de novo provided by statute.

(b) A party who proceeds before an agency under the terms of a particular statute may not be precluded from questioning the validity of that statute on judicial review, but the party may not raise any other question not raised before the agency unless it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that there was good cause for failure to raise the question before the agency.

(2) (a) Except as provided in [section 1], 75-2-211, and subsection (2)(c) of this section, proceedings for review must be instituted by filing a petition in district court within 30 days after service of the final written decision of the agency or, if a rehearing is requested, within 30 days after the written decision is rendered. Except as otherwise provided by statute or subsection (2)(d), the petition must be filed in the district court for the county where the petitioner resides or has the petitioner's principal place of business or where the agency maintains its principal office. Copies of the petition must be promptly served upon the agency and all parties of record.

(b) The petition must include a concise statement of the facts upon which jurisdiction and venue are based, a statement of the manner in which the petitioner is aggrieved, and the ground or grounds specified in 2-4-704(2) upon which the petitioner contends to be entitled to relief. The petition must demand the relief to which the petitioner believes the petitioner is entitled, and the demand for relief may be in the alternative.

(c) If a petition for review is filed pursuant to 33-16-1012(2)(c), the workers' compensation court, rather than the district court, has jurisdiction and the provisions of this part apply to the workers' compensation court in the same manner as the provisions of this part apply to the district court.

(d) If a petition for review is filed challenging a licensing or permitting decision made pursuant to Title 75 or Title 82, the petition for review must be filed in the county where the facility is located or proposed to be located or where the action is proposed to occur.

(3) Unless otherwise provided by statute, the filing of the petition may not stay enforcement of the agency's decision. The agency may grant or the reviewing court may order a stay upon terms that it considers proper, following notice to the affected parties and an opportunity for hearing. A stay may be issued without notice only if the provisions of 27-19-315 through 27-19-317 are met.

(4) Within 30 days after the service of the petition or within further time allowed by the court, the agency shall transmit to the reviewing court the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the proceeding under review. By stipulation of all parties to the review proceedings, the record may be shortened. A party unreasonably refusing to stipulate to limit the record may be required by the court to pay the additional costs. The court may require or permit subsequent corrections or additions to the record."

Section 4. Section 75-2-103, MCA, is amended to read:

"75-2-103. Definitions. Unless the context requires otherwise, in this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Advisory council" means the air pollution control advisory council provided for in 2-15-2106.

(2) "Air contaminant" means dust, fumes, mist, smoke, other particulate matter, vapor, gas, odorous substances, or any combination thereof.

(3) "Air pollutants" means one or more air contaminants that are present in the outdoor atmosphere, including those pollutants regulated pursuant to section 7412 and Subchapter V of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq.

(4) "Air pollution" means the presence of air pollutants in a quantity and for a duration that are or tend to be injurious to human health or welfare, animal or plant life, or property or that would unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life, property, or the conduct of business.

(5) "Associated supporting infrastructure" means:

(a) electric transmission and distribution facilities;

(b) pipeline facilities;

(d) rail transportation;

(e) aqueducts and diversion dams;

(f) devices or equipment associated with the delivery of an energy form or product produced at an energy development project; or

(g) other supporting infrastructure, as defined by board rule, that is necessary for an energy development project.

(5)(6) "Board" means the board of environmental review provided for in 2-15-3502.

(6)(7) (a) "Commercial hazardous waste incinerator" means:

(i) an incinerator that burns hazardous waste; or

(ii) a boiler or industrial furnace subject to the provisions of 75-10-406.

(b) Commercial hazardous waste incinerator does not include a research and development facility that receives federal or state research funds and that burns hazardous waste primarily to test and evaluate waste treatment remediation technologies.

(7)(8) "Department" means the department of environmental quality provided for in 2-15-3501.

(8)(9) "Emission" means a release into the outdoor atmosphere of air contaminants.

(10) (a) "Energy development project" means each plant, unit, or other development and associated developments, including any associated supporting infrastructure, designed for or capable of:

(i) generating electricity;

(ii) producing gas derived from coal;

(iii) producing liquid hydrocarbon products;

(iv) refining crude oil or natural gas;

(v) producing alcohol to be blended for ethanol-blended gasoline and that are eligible for a tax incentive pursuant to Title 15, chapter 70, part 5;

(vi) producing biodiesel and that are eligible for a tax incentive for the production of biodiesel pursuant to 15-32-701; or

(vii) transmitting electricity through an electric transmission line with a design capacity of equal to or greater than 50 kilovolts.

(b) The term does not include a nuclear facility as defined in 75-20-1202.

(9)(11) "Environmental protection law" means a law contained in or an administrative rule adopted pursuant to Title 75, chapter 2, 5, 10, or 11.

(10)(12) "Hazardous waste" means:

(a) a substance defined as hazardous under 75-10-403 or defined as hazardous in department administrative rules adopted pursuant to Title 75, chapter 10, part 4; or

(b) a waste containing 2 parts or more per million of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB).

(11)(13) (a) "Incinerator" means any single- or multiple-chambered combustion device that burns combustible material, alone or with a supplemental fuel or with catalytic combustion assistance, primarily for the purpose of removal, destruction, disposal, or volume reduction of any portion of the input material.

(b) Incinerator does not include:

(i) safety flares used to combust or dispose of hazardous or toxic gases at industrial facilities, such as refineries, gas sweetening plants, oil and gas wells, sulfur recovery plants, or elemental phosphorus plants;

(ii) space heaters that burn used oil;

(iii) wood-fired boilers; or

(iv) wood waste burners, such as tepee, wigwam, truncated cone, or silo burners.

(12)(14) "Medical waste" means any waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in medical research on humans or animals, or in the production or testing of biologicals. The term includes:

(a) cultures and stocks of infectious agents;

(b) human pathological wastes;

(d) sharps;

(e) contaminated animal carcasses, body parts, and bedding that were known to have been exposed to infectious agents during research;

(f) laboratory wastes and wastes from autopsy or surgery that were in contact with infectious agents; and

(g) biological waste and discarded material contaminated with blood, excretion, exudates, or secretions from humans or animals.

(13)(15) (a) "Oil or gas well facility" means a well that produces oil or natural gas. The term includes:

(i) equipment associated with the well and used for the purpose of producing, treating, separating, or storing oil, natural gas, or other liquids produced by the well; and

(ii) a group of wells under common ownership or control that produce oil or natural gas and that share common equipment used for the purpose of producing, treating, separating, or storing oil, natural gas, or other liquids produced by the wells.

(b) The equipment referred to in subsection (13)(a) (15)(a) includes but is not limited to wellhead assemblies, amine units, prime mover engines, phase separators, heater treater units, dehydrator units, tanks, and connecting tubing.

(14)(16) "Person" means an individual, a partnership, a firm, an association, a municipality, a public or private corporation, the state or a subdivision or agency of the state, a trust, an estate, an interstate body, the federal government or an agency of the federal government, or any other legal entity and includes persons resident in Canada.

(15)(17) "Principal" means a principal of a corporation, including but not limited to a partner, associate, officer, parent corporation, or subsidiary corporation.

(16)(18) "Small business stationary source" means a stationary source that:

(a) is owned or operated by a person who employs 100 or fewer individuals;

(b) is a small business concern as defined in the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 631, et seq.;

(d) emits less than 50 tons per year of an air pollutant;

(e) emits less than a total of 75 tons per year of all air pollutants combined; and

(f) is not excluded from this definition under 75-2-108(3).

(17)(19) (a) "Solid waste" means all putrescible and nonputrescible solid, semisolid, liquid, or gaseous wastes, including but not limited to garbage; rubbish; refuse; ashes; swill; food wastes; commercial or industrial wastes; medical waste; sludge from sewage treatment plants, water supply treatment plants, or air pollution control facilities; construction, demolition, or salvage wastes; dead animals, dead animal parts, offal, animal droppings, or litter; discarded home and industrial appliances; automobile bodies, tires, interiors, or parts thereof; wood products or wood byproducts and inert materials; styrofoam and other plastics; rubber materials; asphalt shingles; tarpaper; electrical equipment, transformers, or insulated wire; oil or petroleum products or oil or petroleum products and inert materials; treated lumber and timbers; and pathogenic or infectious waste.

(b) Solid waste does not include municipal sewage, industrial wastewater effluents, mining wastes regulated under the mining and reclamation laws administered by the department of environmental quality, or slash and forest debris regulated under laws administered by the department of natural resources and conservation."

Section 5. Section 75-2-211, MCA, is amended to read:

"75-2-211. Permits for construction, installation, alteration, or use. (1) The board shall by rule provide for the issuance, modification, suspension, revocation, and renewal of a permit issued under this part.

(2) (a) Except as provided in 75-1-208(4)(b), 75-2-234, and subsections (2)(b) and (2)(c) of this section, not later than 180 days before construction, installation, or alteration begins or as a condition of use of any machine, equipment, device, or facility that the board finds may directly or indirectly cause or contribute to air pollution or that is intended primarily to prevent or control the emission of air pollutants, the owner or operator shall file with the department the appropriate permit application on forms available from the department.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (2)(e), the owner or operator of an oil or gas well facility shall file the permit application with the department no later than January 3, 2006, or 60 days after the initial well completion date, whichever is later. For purposes of this section, the initial well completion date for an oil or gas well facility is:

(i) for an oil or gas well facility producing oil, the date when the first oil is produced through wellhead equipment into lease tanks from the ultimate producing interval after casing has been run; and

(ii) for an oil or gas well facility producing gas, the date when the oil or gas well facility is capable of producing gas through wellhead equipment from the ultimate producing interval after casing has been run.

(c) An owner or operator who complies with subsection (2)(b) may construct, install, or use equipment necessary to complete or operate an oil or gas well facility without a permit until the department's decision on the application is final. If the owner or operator does not comply with subsection (2)(b), the owner or operator may not operate the oil or gas well facility and is liable for a violation of this section for every day of construction, installation, or operation of the facility.

(d) The board shall adopt rules establishing air emission control requirements applicable to an oil or gas well facility during the time from the initial well completion date until the department's decision on the application is final.

(e) The provisions of subsections (2)(b) and (2)(c) do not apply to an oil or gas well facility subject to the federal air permitting provisions of 42 U.S.C. 7475 or 7503.

(3) The permit program administered by the department pursuant to this section must include the following:

(a) requirements and procedures for permit applications, including standard application forms;

(b) requirements and procedures for submittal of information necessary to determine the location, quantity, and type of emissions;

(d) procedures for providing notice and an opportunity for comment to contiguous states and federal agencies, as appropriate;

(e) requirements for inspection, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting;

(f) procedures for the transfer of permits;

(g) requirements and procedures for suspension, modification, and revocation of permits by the department;

(h) requirements and procedures for appropriate emission limitations and other requirements, including enforceable measures necessary to ensure compliance with those limitations and requirements;

(i) requirements and procedures for permit modification and amendment; and

(j) requirements and procedures for issuing a single permit authorizing emissions from similar operations at multiple temporary locations, which permit may include conditions necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of this chapter at all authorized locations and a requirement that the owner or operator notify the department in advance of each change in location.

(4) This section does not restrict the board's authority to adopt regulations providing for a single air quality permit system.

(5) Department approval of an application to transfer a portable emission source from one location to another is exempt from the provisions of 75-1-201(1).

(6) The department may, for good cause shown, waive or shorten the time required for filing the appropriate applications.

(7) The department shall require that applications for permits be accompanied by any plans, specifications, and other information that it considers necessary.

(8) An application is not considered filed until the applicant has submitted all fees required under 75-2-220 and all information and completed application forms required pursuant to subsections (2), (3), and (7) of this section. If the department fails to notify the applicant in writing within 30 days after the purported filing of an application that the application is incomplete and fails to list the reasons why the application is considered incomplete, the application is considered filed as of the date of the purported filing.

(9) (a) Except as provided in 75-1-205(4) and 75-1-208(4)(b), if an application for a permit requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement under the Montana Environmental Policy Act, Title 75, chapter 1, parts 1 through 3, the department shall notify the applicant in writing of the approval or denial of the application:

(i) within 180 days after the department's receipt of a filed application, as provided in subsection (8), if the department prepares the environmental impact statement;

(ii) within 30 days after issuance of the final environmental impact statement by the lead agency if a state agency other than the department has been designated by the governor as lead agency for preparation of the environmental impact statement; or

(iii) if the application is for a machine, equipment, a device, or a facility at an operation that requires a permit under Title 82, chapter 4, part 1, 2, or 3, within 30 days of issuance of the final environmental impact statement in accordance with time requirements of Title 82, chapter 4, part 1, 2, or 3.

(b) If an application does not require the preparation of an environmental impact statement, is not subject to the provisions of 75-2-215, and is not subject to the federal air quality permitting provisions of 42 U.S.C. 7475, 7503, or 7661, the department shall notify the applicant in writing within 60 days after its receipt of a filed application, as provided in subsection (8), of its approval or denial of the application, except as provided in subsection (14).

(c) If an application does not require the preparation of an environmental impact statement and is subject to the federal air permitting provisions of 42 U.S.C. 7475, 7503, or 7661, the department shall notify the applicant, in writing, within 75 days after its receipt of a filed application, as provided in subsection (8), of its approval or denial of the application.

(d) Except as provided in subsection (9)(e), if an application does not require the preparation of an environmental impact statement and is subject to the provisions of 75-2-215, the department shall notify the applicant of its approval or denial of the application, in writing, within 75 days after its receipt of a filed application, as provided in subsection (8).

(e) If an application for a permit is for the construction, installation, alteration, or use of a source that is also required to obtain a license pursuant to 75-10-221 or a permit pursuant to 75-10-406, the department shall prepare a single environmental review document pursuant to Title 75, chapter 1, for the permit required under this section and the license or permit required under 75-10-221 or 75-10-406 and act on the applications within the time period provided for in 75-2-215(3)(e).

(f) The time for notification may be extended for 30 days by written agreement of the department and the applicant. Additional 30-day extensions may be granted by the department upon the request of the applicant. Notification of approval or denial may be served personally or by certified mail on the applicant or the applicant's agent.

(g) Failure by the department to act in a timely manner does not constitute approval or denial of the application. This does not limit or abridge the right of any person to seek available judicial remedies to require the department to act in a timely manner.

(10) When Except as provided in [section 1], when the department approves or denies the application for a permit under this section, a person who is jointly or severally directly and adversely affected by the department's decision may request a hearing before the board. The request for hearing must be filed within 15 days after the department renders its decision. An affidavit setting forth the grounds for the request must be filed within 30 days after the department renders its decision. The contested case provisions of the Montana Administrative Procedure Act, Title 2, chapter 4, part 6, apply to a hearing before the board under this subsection.

(11) Except as provided in [section 1]:

(a) The the department's decision on the application is not final until 15 days have elapsed from the date of the decision.;

(b) The the filing of a request for hearing does not stay the department's decision. However, the board may order a stay upon receipt of a petition and a finding, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that:

(i) the person requesting the stay is entitled to the relief demanded in the request for a hearing; or

(ii) continuation of the permit during the appeal would produce great or irreparable injury to the person requesting the stay.

(c) Upon upon granting a stay, the board may require a written undertaking to be given by the party requesting the stay for the payment of costs and damages incurred by the permit applicant and its employees if the board determines that the permit was properly issued. When requiring an undertaking, the board shall use the same procedures and limitations as are provided in 27-19-306(2) through (4) for undertakings on injunctions.

(12) The board shall provide, by rule, a period of 30 days in which the public may submit comments on draft air quality permits for applications that:

(a) are subject to the federal air quality permitting provisions of 42 U.S.C. 7475, 7503, or 7661;

(b) are subject to the requirements of 75-2-215; or

(13) The board shall provide, by rule, a period of 15 days in which the public may submit comments on draft air quality permits not subject to subsection (12).

(14) The board shall provide, by rule, the basis upon which the department may extend by 15 days:

(a) the period as provided in subsection (13) in which the public may submit comments on draft air quality permits not subject to subsection (12); and

(b) the period for notifying an applicant of its final decision on approval or denial of an application, as provided in subsection (9)(b).

(15) (a) The board may adopt rules for issuance, modification, suspension, revocation, renewal, or creation of:

(i) general permits covering multiple similar sources; or

(ii) other permits covering multiple similar sources.

(b) Rules adopted pursuant to subsection (15)(a) may provide for construction and operation under the permit upon authorization by the department or upon notice to the department."

Section 6. Section 75-5-103, MCA, is amended to read:

"75-5-103. Definitions. Unless the context requires otherwise, in this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Associated supporting infrastructure" means:

(a) electric transmission and distribution facilities;

(b) pipeline facilities;

(d) rail transportation;

(e) aqueducts and diversion dams;

(f) devices or equipment associated with the delivery of an energy form or product produced at an energy development project; or

(g) other supporting infrastructure, as defined by board rule, that is necessary for an energy development project.

(1)(2) "Board" means the board of environmental review provided for in 2-15-3502.

(2)(3) "Contamination" means impairment of the quality of state waters by sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes, creating a hazard to human health.

(3)(4) "Council" means the water pollution control advisory council provided for in 2-15-2107.

(4)(5) (a) "Currently available data" means data that is readily available to the department at the time a decision is made, including information supporting its previous lists of water bodies that are threatened or impaired.

(b) The term does not mean new data to be obtained as a result of department efforts.

(5)(6) "Degradation" means a change in water quality that lowers the quality of high-quality waters for a parameter. The term does not include those changes in water quality determined to be nonsignificant pursuant to 75-5-301(5)(c).

(6)(7) "Department" means the department of environmental quality provided for in 2-15-3501.

(7)(8) "Disposal system" means a system for disposing of sewage, industrial, or other wastes and includes sewage systems and treatment works.

(8)(9) "Effluent standard" means a restriction or prohibition on quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents that are discharged into state waters.

(10) (a) "Energy development project" means each plant, unit, or other development and associated developments, including any associated supporting infrastructure, designed for or capable of:

(i) generating electricity;

(ii) producing gas derived from coal;

(iii) producing liquid hydrocarbon products;

(iv) refining crude oil or natural gas;

(v) producing alcohol to be blended for ethanol-blended gasoline and that are eligible for a tax incentive pursuant to Title 15, chapter 70, part 5;

(vi) producing biodiesel and that are eligible for a tax incentive for the production of biodiesel pursuant to 15-32-701; or

(vii) transmitting electricity through an electric transmission line with a design capacity of equal to or greater than 50 kilovolts.

(b) The term does not include a nuclear facility as defined in 75-20-1202.

(9)(11) "Existing uses" means those uses actually attained in state waters on or after July 1, 1971, whether or not those uses are included in the water quality standards.

(10)(12) "High-quality waters" means all state waters, except:

(a) ground water classified as of January 1, 1995, within the "III" or "IV" classifications established by the board's classification rules; and

(b) surface waters that:

(i) are not capable of supporting any one of the designated uses for their classification; or

(ii) have zero flow or surface expression for more than 270 days during most years.

(11)(13) "Impaired water body" means a water body or stream segment for which sufficient credible data shows that the water body or stream segment is failing to achieve compliance with applicable water quality standards.

(12)(14) "Industrial waste" means a waste substance from the process of business or industry or from the development of any natural resource, together with any sewage that may be present.

(13)(15) "Interested person" means a person who has a real property interest, a water right, or an economic interest that is or may be directly and adversely affected by the department's preliminary decision regarding degradation of state waters, pursuant to 75-5-303. The term includes a person who has requested authorization to degrade high-quality waters.

(14)(16) "Load allocation" means the portion of a receiving water's loading capacity that is allocated to one of its existing or future nonpoint sources or to natural background sources.

(15)(17) "Loading capacity" means the mass of a pollutant that a water body can assimilate without a violation of water quality standards. For pollutants that cannot be measured in terms of mass, it means the maximum change that can occur from the best practicable condition in a surface water without causing a violation of the surface water quality standards.

(16)(18) "Local department of health" means the staff, including health officers, employed by a county, city, city-county, or district board of health.

(17)(19) "Metal parameters" includes but is not limited to aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, fluoride, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium, and zinc.

(18)(20) "Mixing zone" means an area established in a permit or final decision on nondegradation issued by the department where water quality standards may be exceeded, subject to conditions that are imposed by the department and that are consistent with the rules adopted by the board.

(19)(21) "Other wastes" means garbage, municipal refuse, decayed wood, sawdust, shavings, bark, lime, sand, ashes, offal, night soil, oil, grease, tar, heat, chemicals, dead animals, sediment, wrecked or discarded equipment, radioactive materials, solid waste, and all other substances that may pollute state waters.

(20)(22) "Outstanding resource waters" means:

(a) state surface waters located wholly within the boundaries of areas designated as national parks or national wilderness areas as of October 1, 1995; or

(b) other surface waters or ground waters classified by the board under the provisions of 75-5-316 and approved by the legislature.

(21)(23) "Owner or operator" means a person who owns, leases, operates, controls, or supervises a point source.

(22)(24) "Parameter" means a physical, biological, or chemical property of state water when a value of that property affects the quality of the state water.

(23)(25) "Person" means the state, a political subdivision of the state, institution, firm, corporation, partnership, individual, or other entity and includes persons resident in Canada.

(24)(26) "Point source" means a discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.

(25)(27) (a) "Pollution" means:

(i) contamination or other alteration of the physical, chemical, or biological properties of state waters that exceeds that permitted by Montana water quality standards, including but not limited to standards relating to change in temperature, taste, color, turbidity, or odor; or

(ii) the discharge, seepage, drainage, infiltration, or flow of liquid, gaseous, solid, radioactive, or other substance into state water that will or is likely to create a nuisance or render the waters harmful, detrimental, or injurious to public health, recreation, safety, or welfare, to livestock, or to wild animals, birds, fish, or other wildlife.

(b) A discharge, seepage, drainage, infiltration, or flow that is authorized under the pollution discharge permit rules of the board is not pollution under this chapter. Activities conducted under the conditions imposed by the department in short-term authorizations pursuant to 75-5-308 are not considered pollution under this chapter.

(26)(28) "Sewage" means water-carried waste products from residences, public buildings, institutions, or other buildings, including discharge from human beings or animals, together with ground water infiltration and surface water present.

(27)(29) "Sewage system" means a device for collecting or conducting sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes to an ultimate disposal point.

(28)(30) "Standard of performance" means a standard adopted by the board for the control of the discharge of pollutants that reflects the greatest degree of effluent reduction achievable through application of the best available demonstrated control technology, processes, operating methods, or other alternatives, including, when practicable, a standard permitting no discharge of pollutants.

(29)(31) (a) "State waters" means a body of water, irrigation system, or drainage system, either surface or underground.

(b) The term does not apply to:

(i) ponds or lagoons used solely for treating, transporting, or impounding pollutants; or

(ii) irrigation waters or land application disposal waters when the waters are used up within the irrigation or land application disposal system and the waters are not returned to state waters.

(30)(32) "Sufficient credible data" means chemical, physical, or biological monitoring data, alone or in combination with narrative information, that supports a finding as to whether a water body is achieving compliance with applicable water quality standards.

(31)(33) "Threatened water body" means a water body or stream segment for which sufficient credible data and calculated increases in loads show that the water body or stream segment is fully supporting its designated uses but threatened for a particular designated use because of:

(a) proposed sources that are not subject to pollution prevention or control actions required by a discharge permit, the nondegradation provisions, or reasonable land, soil, and water conservation practices; or

(b) documented adverse pollution trends.

(32)(34) "Total maximum daily load" or "TMDL" means the sum of the individual waste load allocations for point sources and load allocations for both nonpoint sources and natural background sources established at a level necessary to achieve compliance with applicable surface water quality standards.

(33)(35) "Treatment works" means works, including sewage lagoons, installed for treating or holding sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes.

(34)(36) "Waste load allocation" means the portion of a receiving water's loading capacity that is allocated to one of its existing or future point sources.

(35)(37) "Water quality protection practices" means those activities, prohibitions, maintenance procedures, or other management practices applied to point and nonpoint sources designed to protect, maintain, and improve the quality of state waters. Water quality protection practices include but are not limited to treatment requirements, standards of performance, effluent standards, and operating procedures and practices to control site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or water disposal, or drainage from material storage.

(36)(38) "Water well" means an excavation that is drilled, cored, bored, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed and intended for the location, diversion, artificial recharge, or acquisition of ground water.

(37)(39) "Watershed advisory group" means a group of individuals who wish to participate in an advisory capacity in revising and reprioritizing the list of water bodies developed under 75-5-702 and in the development of TMDLs under 75-5-703, including those groups or individuals requested by the department to participate in an advisory capacity as provided in 75-5-704."

Section 7. Written undertaking. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), if the person requesting a hearing under 75-5-611 is not the applicant or permittee of an energy development project, the district court shall require a written undertaking to be given by the party requesting the hearing for the payment of costs and damages incurred by the applicant or permittee if the request for judicial review was for an improper purpose designed to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or improperly interfere with the issuance of the permit without a reasonable basis in law or fact.

(2) The district court may not require a written undertaking if the party requesting the hearing is an indigent person.

Section 8. Section 75-20-223, MCA, is amended to read:

"75-20-223. Board review of department decisions. (1) (a) A person aggrieved by the final decision of the department on an application for a certificate or the issuance of an air or water quality decision, opinion, order, certification, or permit under this chapter may within 30 days appeal the decision to the board under the contested case procedures of Title 2, chapter 4, part 6. Except as provided in this section, the contested case provisions of the Montana Administrative Procedure Act, Title 2, chapter 4, part 6, apply to a hearing before the board.

(b) If the department provided an opportunity for public comment on the application, the request for a hearing must be limited to those issues the party has raised in comments made to the department during the comment period, unless the issues are related to a material change in law made during the comment period, to a judicial decision issued after the comment period, or to a material change to the draft permit, which was submitted for public comment, made by the department in the final permit decision and upon which the public did not have a meaningful opportunity to comment. The request for hearing must be filed within 30 days after the department renders its decision. An affidavit setting forth the grounds for the request must be filed with the request for a hearing.

(c) If a hearing is requested by a person other than the applicant or permittee, the applicant or permittee may, by filing a written election with the board, within 15 days of receipt of the request for hearing, elect to have the matter proceed to hearing before the board or to have the matter submitted directly to the district court for judicial review of the agency decision. The party who requests the hearing may elect to have the matter submitted either to the board for a hearing or to the district court for judicial review by submitting a written election to the board with the request for hearing. If there are conflicting elections between the parties, the matter must proceed to district court. If the applicant or permittee is not the person who requested the hearing and has elected to have the matter submitted to the district court, the person who submitted the request for a hearing shall file a petition for review of the permit decision within 15 days of receipt of notice from the permittee. If the person who requested the hearing has elected to have the matter proceed to district court, that person shall file a petition in district court within 15 days of filing the request. The petition must be limited to matters raised in the request for hearing and must be filed in the county in which the facility is located. If the applicant or permittee fails to make an election, the matter must proceed through the contested case process before the board pursuant to the Montana Administrative Procedure Act. The board or the district court shall apply the laws and rules in place when the department issued its decision, and the board or the district court may not consider any issue from a party that was not presented to the department for the department's consideration during the formal comment period unless the issue is related to a material change in law made during the comment period, to a judicial decision issued after the comment period, or to a material change to the draft permit, which was submitted for public comment, made by the department in the final permit decision and upon which the public did not have a meaningful opportunity to comment.

(2) A person aggrieved by the final decision of the department on an application for amendment of a certificate may within 15 days appeal the decision to the board under the contested case procedures of Title 2, chapter 4, part 6. as provided in subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c).

(3) A person aggrieved by the department's decision not to include an environmental impact statement or analysis in the department's findings pursuant to 75-20-216 may within 30 days appeal the decision to the board under the contested case procedures of Title 2, chapter 4, part 6. as provided in subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c).

(4) The board shall issue a final decision within 4 months from the close of the hearing on the merits or, if no hearing is held, within 3 months from the date that briefing by the parties is complete unless the applicant and the party other than the applicant agree in writing to an extension of time.

(4)(5) A customer fiscal impact analysis required by 69-2-216 may not be used as the basis of an appeal of a final decision by the department."

Section 9. Codification instruction. (1) [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 75, chapter 2, part 2, and the provisions of Title 75, chapter 2, part 2, apply to [section 1].

(2) [Section 7] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 75, chapter 5, part 6, and the provisions of Title 75, chapter 5, part 6, apply to [section 7].

Section 10. Severability. If a part of [this act] is invalid, all valid parts that are severable from the invalid part remain in effect. If a part of [this act] is invalid in one or more of its applications, the part remains in effect in all valid applications that are severable from the invalid applications.

Section 11. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

Section 12. Applicability. [This act] applies to judicial and board of environmental review hearing and appeal proceedings initiated on or after [the effective date of this act].

- END -

Latest Version of HB 483 (HB0483.ENR)
Processed for the Web on April 23, 2009 (3:45pm)

New language in a bill appears underlined, deleted material appears stricken.

Sponsor names are handwritten on introduced bills, hence do not appear on the bill until it is reprinted.

See the status of this bill for the bill's primary sponsor.

Status of this Bill | 2009 Legislature | Leg. Branch Home
This bill in WP 5.1 | All versions of all bills (WP 5.1 format)
Authorized print version w/line numbers (PDF format)
[ NEW SEARCH ]

Prepared by Montana Legislative Services
(406) 444-3064