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Montana DEQ asks legislature for $9.5 million biennial increase, nine new positions
Summary
The Department of Environmental Quality told the Section C appropriations panel it needs a roughly $9.5 million biennial increase over base funding, along with nine new full‑time positions — five of which would affect the general fund — to maintain permitting timelines, respond to litigation and support mining and water programs.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has asked the Legislature to approve a biennial budget increase of roughly $9.5 million above the agency base and nine new full‑time positions to meet mounting workload demands.
Rob Miller, the Legislative Fiscal Division analyst who opened the department’s budget review, told the Section C appropriations committee the governor’s proposal would raise the agency’s funding above a base of about $67.5 million and produce a year‑to‑year increase of about $4.7 million in fiscal 2026 and $4.8 million in fiscal 2027.
Why it matters: DEQ’s responsibilities include permitting, monitoring and enforcement for air, water, waste and mining programs across Montana. Committee members were shown that the agency’s funding mix is largely state special revenue (about half), with federal grants and a smaller share of general fund dollars supporting operations. A general fund increase of roughly $3.1 million was highlighted as the largest percentage rise among fund sources.
Director Sonya Nowakowski said the agency is requesting nine new FTEs, of which five would affect the general fund, and described the roles as essential to meeting statutory deadlines, reducing enforcement needs through better customer service, and defending agency actions in court. "These positions are necessary to ensure the department is able to meet its statutory responsibilities, to continue to meet regulatory deadlines, and to provide customer service," Nowakowski said.
Miller explained technical budget terms to the committee, including so‑called "unallocated personal services," which he described as a pool that can cover personal‑services needs not tied to a specific position number. "Unallocated personal services are things that you might need for any personal difference between regular personal services," Miller said, adding the agency would identify how it plans to use the funds when staff present.
The department also emphasized efficiency gains it has achieved: Nowakowski and Deputy Director James Fair highlighted a shift to digital processes and internal reorganizations. The agency said it found roughly $256,000 in savings by rationalizing ArcGIS Pro licenses, and described other one‑time and ongoing technology savings through electronic field forms and better travel coordination under what it calls the "Montana Miles Project.""We will be showing the work we do and this will be again in the customer service vein," Nowakowski said of the GIS initiative.
Committee discussion focused on the composition of the requested positions and on fee structures that fund many DEQ programs. Several committee members asked how fee accounts and general fund backstops interact with position requests; staff said some positions are funded with state special or federal dollars while others would use general fund. Miller and Nowakowski also noted that, while the agency is pursuing fee adjustments and statutory changes for long‑running programs, some funding proposals would need corresponding bills to take effect.
The committee did not take formal votes during the hearing. DEQ staff and division administrators said they would return to answer follow‑up questions and provide further documentation on individual decision packages.
