Sorted by date Results 1 - 13 of 13
Montana’s SMART Schools Challenge encourages pollution prevention throughout the school year and provides cash rewards to help Montana’s K-12 public schools “Save Money and Resources Today”. Last year’s K-12 Challenge schools recycled and composted 60,000 pounds of waste, and saved more than $100,000 through energy conservation. Lt. Governor Angela McLean describes the SMART School Challenge as a “friendly competition among schools to see who can save the most money and resources by conserving energy, recycling and implementing green pract...
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality reminds people that the annual fall open burning restrictions became effective on Sept. 1. The restrictions are put in place to determine when it is safe to burn from an air quality perspective and where burning may cause health impacts. There may be additional burning restrictions put in place by local, state or tribal authorities to prevent wildfires. Burners in all locations must also contact these local authorities before starting fires any time of year to provide notification of the burn and...
Helena – The Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Today’s Air website has several resources available that people can use to minimize or avoid the harmful effects of smoke pollution during wildfire season. Wildfires can create hazardous smoke pollution during the summer months. The smoke contains particulates of soot that can irritate your eyes and your respiratory system. It may also worsen chronic heart and lung diseases. Smoke pollution can affect people many miles away from the source of the fire and can last for days. The parti...
DEQ and DPHHS Offer Flood Safety and Cleanup Advice Flooding can cause health risks in wells and homes Helena - Montana’s recent heavy snow falls, combined with frozen ground and a rapid warm up in temperatures, have prompted flood advisories to be issued around the state. Flooding can pose a special hazard to people who use private wells for their drinking water both during and after flood events. For those whose homes are affected by floods, the Montana Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) h...
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is offering trainings to help solid waste facilities deal with the wastes generated by the boom in oil production in Eastern Montana. This extensive training event will bring experts from state and federal government and the oil industry to Miles City in an effort to assist landfill owners and operators with the handling and disposal of oil field waste from beginning to end. Who: The Montana Department of Environmental Quality What: Landfill Training – Oil Field Waste – Impact on Landfills Whe...
Earthstone Energy, Inc., based in Denver, Colorado, recently paid a $6,335 penalty to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for failing to register oil and gas wells in Richland and Sheridan Counties as sources of air pollution and for failing to install vapor emission controls on two wells. Registration of the thousands of oil and gas wells in Montana and vapor controls are necessary so that DEQ can limit the amount of pollutants that are released into the atmosphere. Larry Alheim of the DEQ Enforcement Division said that in...
The Montana Board of Environmental Review (BER) will hold a regular meeting on Friday, July 26 in Helena in Room 111 of the Metcalf Building (1520 E 6th Ave) starting at 9 a.m. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Agenda items include briefings by the Department of Environmental Quality on nutrient reduction strategies and water quality items facing the BER, bills passed by the 2013 Legislature affecting the BER, and a brief description of rulemakings currently in development by the department. The BER will also hear updates on...
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking proposals that may be eligible for Fiscal Year 2014 funding under Section 319(h) of the Federal Clean Water Act. The DEQ is also sponsoring a workshop to provide information about the program to those interested in submitting proposals. Project sponsors must be either a governmental entity or a nonprofit organization. Section 319(h) funds are used to support the most effective and highest priority projects that address non-point source water pollution. DEQ is seeking project...
Fisher Sand & Gravel Company of Glendive recently paid $10,407 to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to resolve violations of the Montana Opencut Mining Act at a gravel pit in Richland County, Montana. In the early part of 2012, Fisher mined gravel outside of the Prewitt Pit #4’s permit boundary. Mining in an unapproved area is a violation, because there is no approved plan or financial assurance in place to properly reclaim the disturbed area. The company has since obtained an amendment to its reclamation permit to cover the...
The Montana Board of Environmental Review (BER) will hold a regular meeting on Friday, March 22 in Helena in Room 111 of the Metcalf Building (1520 E 6th Ave) starting at 9 a.m. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Agenda items include a briefing on issues in eastern Montana related to oil and gas development, updates and actions on contested cases before the Board, and consideration of final rules relating to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The Board will also hold a public hearing on Butte-Silver Bow County’s r...
Spring/summer open burning season begins Friday, March 1, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reminds people that only clean, untreated wood and plant material can be burned legally. It is illegal to burn, among other things, food waste, plastics, wood that has been coated, painted stained or treated, dead animals or animal droppings, rubber materials, chemicals, asphalt shingles, tar paper, pathogenic or hazardous wastes, and standing or demolished structures containing prohibited materials. DEQ strongly recommends that p...
The Montana Oil Pipeline Safety Review Council has completed its final report. The report was presented to Governor Brian Schweitzer on November 27, 2012. The report is the culmination of the work of the Oil Pipeline Safety Review Council, created by the Governor in the wake of the ExxonMobil Silvertip oil spill in July 2011. The purpose of the Council was to review all available information for each pipeline river crossing in Montana to assess the risk of ruptures and leaks. The Governor asked the Council to evaluate the regulatory framework...
The fall open burning season ends on November 30, 2012. No open burning is allowed in the Western Montana Burn Zone until March 1, 2013, unless specific permission is obtained from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The Western Montana Burn Zone includes the following Counties: Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, Lake, Mineral, Missoula, Powell, Lewis and Clark, Ravalli, Granite, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Jefferson, Broadwater, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin, and that portion south of I-90 in Park. Open burning sources located in the...
