Final Update from the 2025 Legislative Session
Dear Flathead Lakers Members,
Spring is now in full swing, and there are only a handful of days remaining in the 2025 Montana Legislative Session. This will be our final update before sine die, but your attention remains as critical as ever. Several bills with significant environmental implications have already passed, while others remain pending or stalled in legislative limbo. See below for updates on key bills and how you can make your voice heard:
Pending Bills
HJ 44: Interim Study of Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals and Water Quality
HJ 44 would create an interim committee to study endocrine-disrupting chemicals in Montana’s watersheds. Recent studies have shown chemicals like PFAS and dioxins are detectable in our drinking water, in agricultural soils, in fish and wildlife, in our homes, and in our own blood. This study would expand upon that research and provide an avenue for experts to recommend necessary policy changes. HJ 44 is scheduled for second reading in the House on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Please contact your House representative TODAY to voice your support for this important step towards new environmental safeguards.
Send a message to your representative using the state’s online participation tool.
Call the Capitol switchboard at 406-444-4800 to deliver a verbal message. You can even request that staff deliver a paper copy of your comments to each individual member of the body!
Want to know who represents you in the Montana Legislature? Use this tool to find your local legislator and stay informed on the decisions shaping our watershed.
Passed and Enrolled Bills
HB 477 Phase-Out of Polystyrene Single-Use Food Containers
HB 477 creates a firm timeline to phase out polystyrene single-use food containers, and it was enrolled on April 14, 2025. This is an important step towards the goal of keeping harmful plastic pollution out of our watersheds and safeguarding Montana’s environment for future generations!
HB 242 Increased Fines for Aquatic Invasive Species Violations
HB 242 revises the fines system related to aquatic invasive species, and it was enrolled on April 11, 2025. Strengthening enforcement and increasing fines will help ensure that all watercraft are properly inspected, reducing the risk of infestation and preserving Montana’s pristine lakes and rivers!
SB 221 Generally Revise the Montana Environmental Policy Act
SB 221 will severely limit the state’s obligation to consider climate change when evaluating new project proposals under MEPA, and it was enrolled on April 11, 2025. We have serious concerns about how this legislation will impact our land, water, and wildlife, so we expect to see it challenged in court.
HB 285 Generally Revise the Montana Environmental Policy act
HB 285 will eliminate MEPA as a tool for upholding our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and it was signed by the Speaker of the House on April 18, 2025. This new law would devastate our existing mechanisms for preventing environmental catastrophe, and it will certainly be subject to similar litigation as SB 221.
HB 664 Repeal Numeric Nutrient Standards
HB 664 eliminates numeric nutrient standards from Montana’s water quality regulations, and it was enrolled on April 18, 2025. This will weaken Montana’s ability to protect waterways from nutrient-driven degradation, such as harmful algal blooms, fish die-offs, and declining aquatic ecosystems.
HB 736 Provide Nutrient Pollutant Loading Offsets
HB 736 establishes “nutrient pollutant loading offsets,” allowing point source polluters (think wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities) to supposedly offset their pollution by funding nutrient reduction projects elsewhere in the watershed. It was enrolled on April 18, 2025.
Tabled Bills
SB 436 Generally Revise Laws Relating to Exempt Wells
SB 436 would codify an outdated practice of drilling wells without any permitting or oversight processes. This legislation threatened the health and structure of the water table by encouraging unchecked development. We were glad to see it tabled by the House Natural Resources Committee on April 16, 2025.
HB 658 Revise Local Board of Health Sanitation Powers and Rules
HB 658 was a confusing and convoluted proposal to override the power of local sanitation boards to set wastewater treatment standards more stringent than the state’s standards. This would have prevented communities from addressing unique ground and surface water quality issues. Thankfully, the Senate Local Government Committee tabled HB 658 on April 7, 2025.
Should the House and Senate decide to adjourn as predicted this week, the 69th Montana Legislature will fall short of the 90 days of biannual legislating permitted by the state constitution. This is intentional: looming federal budget cuts are expected to disrupt the newly balanced budget.
It’s likely the legislature will reconvene for a special session in Fall 2025 to address emerging funding gaps caused by the loss of federal support. Unfortunately, we anticipate serious new threats to federally owned lands, state and tribal conservation programs, and a wide range of grants that support everything from environmental education to sustainable agricultural practices.
If and when these cuts materialize, we’ll be here to help translate what those changes might mean for our communities in the Flathead watershed. In the face of all this uncertainty, we must continue to stand together in support of clean water, rich biodiversity, and healthy ecosystems. The future of this place depends on what we do now.
Sincerely,
The Flathead Lakers Advocacy Committee