MFSA| North Plains Connector Final EIS | Rosebud, Custer, and Fallon County | Public Notice
On Sept. 18, 2024, DEQ received an application for a Major Facility Siting Act (MFSA) Certificate of Compliance for the North Plains Connector Project, which proposes to construct and operate a new transmission line. The overhead transmission line would carry 525 kilovolts of high-voltage direct-current and provide 3,000 megawatts connecting the Western electrical grid to Eastern states. When completed, the project would start near Colstrip, traverse Rosebud, Custer and Fallon counties in Montana and terminate at two end points near Center and St. Anthony, North Dakota.
The publication of the Final EIS for the project is culmination of approximately two years of permitting under MFSA. The EIS process included two opportunities for public comment and review, which occurred during the scoping period before the EIS was drafted and later to collect feedback on the Draft EIS.
The Final EIS includes DEQ’s responses to substantive public comment, comments offering insight, analysis, or constructive feedback, made on the Draft EIS. DEQ must wait 15 days after the publication of the Final EIS to issue the Record of Decision and the Major Facility Siting Act (MFSA) Certificate of Compliance. The MFSA certificate is required before North Plains Connector can begin construction on the project.
Associated Materials:
The department will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to participate in this public participation process or need an alternative accessible format of this notice. If you require an accommodation, contact the department no later than 5:00 P.M. on October 18, 2026, to advise us of the nature of the accommodation that you need. Please contact the Department of Environmental Quality at P.O. Box 200901, Helena, Montana 59620-0901; phone (406) 444-0514; or e-mail crajones@mt.gov.
Tags: MEPA, Public Notice and Energy