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DEQ director briefs committee on agency role in air, water, waste and mining oversight
Summary
DEQ Director Sonya Nowakowski told the committee the agency administers state delegations of federal programs, oversees reclamation and cleanup, and is reviewing the Montana Environmental Policy Act through an internal work group that may yield bills this session.
Sonya Nowakowski, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, gave the committee an overview of DEQ responsibilities and staff structure.
Nowakowski said DEQ (about 400 employees) implements Montana’s environmental laws: air-quality, water‑quality, waste‑management and reclamation programs, the Major Facility Siting Act for large energy facilities, and oversight for Superfund and leaking underground storage tank programs. She described DEQ’s role as a delegated state authority for many federal environmental programs and said the department formed a work group late last year to review the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA); she indicated the work could lead to proposed legislation this session.
Nowakowski introduced senior DEQ staff who will work with the committee, including Deputy Director James Fair and division administrators for water quality, waste management and air/energy/mining. The director said DEQ has focused on customer service and transparency and offered staff assistance to legislators drafting bills.
