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Montana bill to redefine 'material damage' for coal permits draws sharp local concern over water impacts
Summary
Proponents in the mining industry said HB587 aligns Montana law with federal Office of Surface Mining guidance to preserve primacy and funding; ranchers and conservation witnesses warned the proposed changes would weaken protections for downstream water quality and shift burdens onto landowners.
Representative Gary Perry opened House Bill 5 87 by saying the bill adopts language OSM identified as approvable after a prior 2023 proposal was denied, with the aim of preserving state primacy over the coal program and federal funding for reclamation.
Daryl James of Westmoreland Mining and George Harris of the Montana Coal Council testified in favor, saying the change simply aligns Montana statute…
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