MEPA | Notice of Adoption of MAR Notice No. 2026-36.2 | Public Notice
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is giving Notice of Adoption of MAR Notice No. 2026-36.2 to amend and repeal rules implementing the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Administrative Rules.
Across several MEPA rules, the DEQ proposed to make consistent terminology and readability edits. References to “major state actions” and “actions” are replaced with “proposed action” to align the rules with the current MEPA framework, which defines and implements environmental review in terms of a “proposed action” in 75 1 220, MCA, and uses that term throughout the environmental review provisions. All references to the “human” environment are replaced with “Montana” environment to conform to House Bill 285 (2025), which amended 75 1 109(1)(a), 75 1 201(1)(a)(i), (iii), (iv), (iv)(B), (v), 75 1 202, and 75 1 220(5), (6), and (7), MCA, by replacing “human” environment with “Montana” environment. Other updates to formatting and wording are intended to improve clarity, remove redundancy, and ensure that the MEPA rules are written in clear and accessible language, consistent with the Lieutenant Governor’s directive on plain language rule drafting, without changing the substantive standards for when and how environmental review is conducted under MEPA.
On June 19, 2026, DEQ published MAR Notice No. 2026-36.1 regarding the public hearing on the proposed changes to the rules in the 2026 Administrative Register, Issue No. 12. DEQ held a public hearing on July 17, 2026. DEQ did receive written public comment. DEQ’s summary of the comments received, and DEQ’s responses are in MAR Notice No. 2026-36.2.
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Tags: MEPA, Public Notice and Rule Making