Permitting and Compliance Division Goals and Objectives
- Conduct effective permit programs designed to issue complete, accurate, environmentally sound and legally defensible permits within statutory time frames;
- Ensure that facilities are properly sited, designed, maintained, and operated in compliance with all permit conditions and state laws and rules;
- Ensure appropriate public involvement through compliance with MEPA and other public notice and public participation statutes.
- Provide pre-application consultation to prospective facility sponsors, and, within established statutory time frames, evaluate and process applications;
- Ensure multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary evaluations of resource plan and monitoring information are appropriately and effectively coordinated with professionals within the department, and
other state, federal and local agencies;
- Conduct environmental analysis of all applications, as required by the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), and as appropriate to federal lands, under the National Environmental Policy
Act;
- Provide technical and compliance assistance to facilities in order to maintain and enhance compliance;
- Ensure that facility owners, operators and the public have access to accurate and timely information on all division issues;
- Provide training and technical assistance and disseminate information to all local government agencies concerning current program status and any anticipated program changes and to assist local
governments with state and federal compliance;
- Develop, adopt, and implement reasonable and practical administrative rules and procedures as necessary to achieve required regulatory authority;
- Negotiate agreements with federal agencies that are consistent with state priorities;
- Obtain and maintain authorization for all program components which have counterparts in a federal program; and
- Maintain and enhance resources as necessary to execute authorized functions, identified above.
- Air Permitting and Compliance Section
- Issue timely and complete permits for sources to provide appropriate
protection of public health through compliance with applicable
requirements of the Clean Air Act.
- Work with agencies and companies that open burn forestry slash to
protect the ambient air standards.
- Assist permit applicants and the public so that they can understand
the regulations and maintain regulatory compliance.
- Conduct activities to assess source compliance with applicable air
quality requirements. These activities include compliance,
inspections, evaluation of compliance reports, compliance response and
investigation and compliance assistance.
- Air Monitoring, Analysis, and Planning Section
- Develop and Maintain air quality State Implementation Plans to
reduce air pollution for protection of ambient air quality standards,
air quality increments and visibility.
- Assess and provide reliable information on ambient air quality
conditions in Montana communities by operating a network of air
quality monitoring stations.
- Conduct air quality program development and rule making activities
necessary to meet statutory requirements and acquire and maintain
delegation of federal environmental programs.
- Provide technical and financial assistance, including grants to
local air quality agencies, to develop and implement air quality plans
that enhance air quality.
- Provide meteorological services, including smoke forecasting,
determining burning restrictions, and forecasting emergency ambient
air situations.
- Make air quality data available to the public in as near real time
as possible for public health reasons.
- Utilize data management functions to provide information both
internally and externally for program planning and appraisal.
- Ensure compliance with state and federal fiscal management
requirements through fiscal tracking and planning.
- Facility Siting Section
- Effectively manage the placement of large linear facilities and the construction and modification of generation and conversion facilities in order to ensure appropriate protections of
environmental and human resources.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Hard Rock Mining and Reclamation Section
- Issue timely and complete permit modification decisions for mining and reclamation of hard rock minerals which ensure that mineral development which occurs does so with adequate protection
of environmental resources.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable mining and reclamation requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Coal and Uranium Section
- Issue timely and complete permit and permit modification decisions for mining and reclamation of coal and uranium minerals which ensure that mineral development which occurs does so with
adequate protection of environmental resources.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable coal and uranium regulatory requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Opencut Section
- Issue timely and complete permit and permit modification decisions for mining and reclamation of opencut minerals which ensure that mineral development which occurs does so with adequate
protection of environmental resources.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with opencut requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Public Water Supply Section
- Ensure the safety of public drinking water supplies.
- Certify water and wastewater treatment plant operators.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable public water supply requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Subdivision Review Section
- Effectively manage the review of subdivisions in order to ensure appropriate protections of environmental resources and consumers.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable sanitation and water quality requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Water & Wastewater Operator Certification Program
- To protect the public health and the environment by having certified operators in direct responsible charge of the operation of water treatment plants, water distribution systems, or
wastewater treatment plants.
- To provide testing, recording, program information services and to ensure that comprehensive, ongoing training is given to Montana's water and wastewater operator community.
- Asbestos Section
- Conduct activities to access source compliance with applicable asbestos abatement requirements. Asbestos program activities include abatement project permitting, worker
accreditations, and training course provider accreditation.
- Hazardous Waste Section
- Issue timely and complete permits for facilities to provide appropriate protection of public health through compliance with applicable requirements of the Act.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable hazardous waste requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
- Promote reductions in the generation of hazardous waste.
- Obtain delegation for all program components which have counterparts in the federal program under RCRA.
- Initiate enforcement actions against significant violators which are commensurate with the degree of non-compliance.
- Junk Vehicle Section
- Ensure junk vehicles are removed and recycled through appropriate facilities.
- Conduct compliance evaluations and inspections to assess compliance with applicable requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community, including both private
industry and local government.
- Solid Waste Section
- Effectively manage the disposition of solid waste and septage in order to ensure appropriate protections of environmental and human resources.
- Conduct compliance evaluations and inspections to assess compliance with applicable solid waste and septic tank pumping requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated
community.
- Promote waste reduction.
- Underground Storage Tank Section
- Maintain data management and geographic information systems to track active and closed USTs to facilitate enforcement of compliance with state and federal
regulations
- Communicate and coordinate with other agencies, local governments, and citizens by responding to inquiries and requests for information and providing brochures to the public that explain
regulatory changes or guidelines for preventing or abating hazardous or deleterious substance releases to the environment.
- Provide education and outreach to regulated entities through on-site visits, telephone assistance, public meetings, brochures, fact sheets, and public-service
announcements.
- Provide for public participation in the evaluation and selection of cleanup alternatives for sites with hazardous or deleterious substance releases by holding public meetings and
soliciting comments on remedial plans and reports.
- Prevent releases from USTs by permitting and overseeing installations, modifications, repairs, or closures, by licensing UST installers and removers, and by maintaining an effective
compliance inspection and enforcement program.
- Provide grants and training to local governments for inspections of UST installations, modifications, repairs, and removals.
- Water Permitting Section
- Effectively manage, through permitting, the discharge of materials into state waters in order to ensure appropriate protection of public health and the environment.
- Conduct compliance evaluations to assess compliance with applicable water quality requirements and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.
