MT HB285

Reaffirms that the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) is purely procedural and does not grant state agencies additional regulatory authority to withhold, deny, or impose conditions on permits

Requires plaintiffs challenging environmental permits under Titles 75 or 82 to first establish the unconstitutionality of the underlying statute before challenging licensing or permitting decisions

Establishes that legal challenges to MEPA actions must be filed in the district court of the county where the proposed activity will occur

Repeals four existing MEPA sections (75-1-103, 75-1-105, 75-1-107, and 75-1-108) covering policy statements, supplementary goals, constitutional determinations, and venue provisions

Removes requirement to analyze "relationship between local short-term uses and maintenance of long-term productivity" from environmental impact statements