The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is requesting public feedback on a draft programmatic environmental assessment for its Oil and Gas Registration Program, with comments due by Oct. 1, 2026.
The Montana Environmental Policy Act requires DEQ to analyze impacts from all agency actions that may affect the state’s environment. As allowed under MEPA, and because potential impacts from oil and gas well facilities are similar across Montana, DEQ periodically prepares an updated programmatic environmental assessment for regulated oil and gas well facilities disclosing the impacts associated with their operations. The practice is intended to ensure the registration program remains current and that its associated impacts are adequately disclosed to the public.
The focus of this programmatic review is oil and gas well facilities with the potential to emit air pollutants between 25 and 100 tons per year. Facilities with the potential to emit more than 100 tons per year are not eligible for registration and must instead obtain a Montana Air Quality Permit; for those sources, the required MEPA review is conducted on a case-by-case basis before a permit is issued.
DEQ currently receives approximately 90 to 160 applicable oil and gas well facility registration applications each year, including 20 to 30 new registrations, 50 to 100 registration modifications, and 20 to 30 deregistration requests.
MEPA gives state agencies discretion to determine when preparing a programmatic review is appropriate for related or repetitive actions, programs or policies. DEQ said the programmatic environmental assessment will be used to appropriately disclose environmental impacts, promoting both efficient review and informed agency decisions under the law.