Senate approves narrower greenhouse‑gas review under MEPA after heated debate

Senate Bill 221, which would revise how greenhouse‑gas effects are assessed under the Montana Environmental Policy Act, passed the Senate on second reading after extended debate on scope and legal defensibility.

The measure, introduced by Senator Galt, would limit the scope of MEPA greenhouse‑gas analysis to emissions linked more directly to the proposed state action. "This is the first bill of many we're gonna be seeing that deals with the held case," Galt told the committee, and described SB 221 as a middle‑ground approach that would give industry clearer direction while responding to the Montana Supreme Court decision the bill’s…