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Senate committee hears HB7 to fund reclamation and high‑hazard projects; Granite County removals questioned
Summary
House Bill 7 would allocate reclamation and development grants for abandoned mine, hazardous substance and crucial-state-need projects; sponsor said an incorrect revenue estimate reduced the bill and removed a Granite County project that lacked a local match.
Representative John Fitzpatrick told the Senate Finance and Claims Committee that House Bill 7 provides funding through DNRC’s Reclamation and Development Grant program for projects that reclaim and mitigate damage from historic mineral, oil and gas development and for repairs to state-owned water projects. Fitzpatrick said the bill contains $700,000 for planning grants and $3.8 million for reclamation grants and that the bill, like HB6, suffered from an incorrect revenue estimate.
Autumn Coleman of DNRC described the RDG program’s purpose and ranking criteria, including statutory preferences for abandoned-mine reclamation and a statutory definition of "crucial state need" that covers drought mitigation and high-hazard dams. DNRC said it received 17 RDG applications requesting more than $7.1 million; seven addressed abandoned mines, ten addressed crucial-state needs, and four were high-hazard-dam projects.
Proponents including Trout Unlimited, the League of Cities and Towns, Montana Rural Water and conservation districts argued the program protects public health and the environment and supports rural communities. Committee members asked whether any removed projects could be restored if additional revenue becomes available; Fitzpatrick said ARPA interest banked by the Office of Budget and Program Planning was a likely source and that any extra money would probably be prorated between HB6 and HB7.
Senators pressed the sponsor about Granite County projects that were removed for lack of a match and the sponsor criticized the county for declining to provide local funds despite what he described as significant county cash balances. Samantha True, RDG program manager, participated online as an informational witness and clarified that some example projects cited were previous successes rather than current requests.
The committee closed the HB7 hearing without taking final action and moved to HB8.
