Overview
This page provides a one-stop-shop for DEQ information and materials related to the 2025 Legislature, which begins January 6, 2025.
Our mission is to champion a healthy environment for a thriving Montana.
Legislative Contacts
DEQ Main Number
(406) 444-2544
Director
Sonja Nowakowski, 406-444-2544
Deputy Director
James Fehr, 406-444-7423
Chief Legal Counsel
Sam King, 406-444-4961
Division Administrator - Air, Energy & Mining
Dan Walsh, 406-444-6791
Division Administrator - Waste Management & Remediation
Amy Steinmetz, 406-444-6383
Division Administrator - Water Quality
Lindsey Krywaruchka, 406-444-4632
Public Policy Director
Rebecca Harbage, 406-444-2813
Enforcement Program Manager
Chad Anderson, 406-444-2964
Chief Financial Officer
Denise Kelly, 406-444-4964
Chief Information Officer
DJ Howell, 406-444-7424
Human Resources Manager
Christina Lipetzky, 406-444-6717
The Department of Environmental Quality is organized into three divisions and central services. More information about the various programs housed within each division can be found by using the main navigation menu above.
Air, Energy and Mining
The Air, Energy and Mining Division permits and regulates environmentally-protective and productive operations in air, hard rock mining, opencut mining, and coal mining industries according to program statutory authority. The permitting and regulatory work includes extensive coordination with other programs to develop environmental review documents that comply with the Montana Environmental Policy Act, including environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. The division includes the State Energy Office, or Energy Bureau, which promotes and improves Montanans' access to energy efficiency and alternative energy sources while improving the state’s energy security by offering financing mechanisms, technical assistance, and education for public and private entities.
Waste Management & Remediation
The Waste Management and Remediation Division protects human health and the environment by preventing exposure to contaminants, working with Montana communities and businesses to implement effective material management and cleanup strategies, and overseeing compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. It oversees and conducts or supports remedial investigation and efficient, cost-effective cleanup activities at state and federal superfund sites; supervises voluntary cleanup activities; reclaims abandoned mine lands; implements corrective actions at sites; and administers regulatory asbestos, methamphetamine, and waste management programs.
Water Quality
The Water Quality Division protects public health and water quality in the state of Montana. This is accomplished through the financing and technical assistance provided for community water and wastewater systems; the development of water quality restoration plans; managing a State-wide monitoring network; subdivision review; monitoring compliance of public water systems; and water discharge permitting. The division achieves this through coordination with the public and regulated community by proposing rules, drafting policy, and developing water quality standards.
Central Services
The agency's central services programs are responsible for agency-wide administration, management, planning, evaluation, and support. They include the director’s staff, a centralized legal pool, the Montana Environmental Policy Act and the Montana Facility Siting Act functions, public affairs, the enforcement program, human resources, information management and technology, financial services, records management, safety, emergency management, and continuous process improvement.
The agency also provides administrative support to the Board of Environmental Review. In addition, although it is not attached to DEQ by law, the Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board (PTRCB) is functionally supported by DEQ. The board provides procedures and resources for reimbursement of expenditures for cleanup of petroleum tank leaks. Finally, the 2017 Legislature established an advisory team, the Libby Asbestos Superfund Oversight Committee, that is also attached to DEQ for administrative purposes. Read more about these groups and more on the About Us page.
DEQ Values
Our values complement and help us achieve our mission of championing a healthy environment for a thriving Montana. We value leadership, accountability, customer service, communication, decision-making and disagreement, excellence, and efficiency and effectiveness.
Goals & Objectives
We work to set smart, forward-thinking goals in all DEQ programs, and we hold ourselves accountable for measuring whether we achieve what we set out to do. The document linked below provides a snapshot of DEQ's measurable goals and objectives for the 2025 Biennium.
DEQ Goals & Objectives for the 2025 Biennium (.pdf)
DEQ Annual Plan - FY2025 (.pdf)
DEQ Annual Plan Update - September 1, 2024 (.pdf)
DEQ Annual Plan - FY2024 (.pdf) - Prepared in compliance with House Bill 190 (2023)
Appropriations Subcommittee
The Legislature reviews DEQ's budget as part of the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee Section C - Natural Resources and Transportation. Click the button below to visit the Section C web page for additional information, including a list of subcommittee members and a draft schedule of hearings and executive action.
If you prefer, use the following button to go directly to information about DEQ, prepared by the Legislative Fiscal Division (LFD), including the official DEQ budget analysis for the 2025 biennium.
Agency Materials