Administrative Rules

Pursuant to statute, DNRC maintains a list of "interested persons" who are notified when the department proposes to amend or adopt its administrative rules. If you would like you or your organization to be on this list, please contact dnrc_publicinfo@mt.gov (attention ARM Rules Coordinator). Please provide your name, e-mail address, physical address, and the topics you wish to be notified of: conservation districts and resource development, forestry, oil and gas conservation, trust land management, and/or water resources, or designate All DNRC Rulemaking.

• Administrative Rules of Montana Web site
• Montana DNRC Administrative Rules

MAR 36-22-214 (Proposed Amendment - Horse Creek Controlled Groundwater Area)

Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Amendment

MAR 36-22-213 (Proposed Amendment and Repeal - Water Well Licensing and Construction Standards)

Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Amendment and Repeal

Small Business Impact Analysis (SBIA)
 

Oil & Gas Lease Sale

NOTICE OF STATE OF MONTANA OIL & GAS LEASE SALE.  The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will hold an oil and gas lease sale during the period of June 1^st – 7^th, 2022, through the online auction service, EnergyNet.  The June sale includes 179 tracts in the following counties:  Daniels (39), Hill (88), Petroleum (33), Roosevelt (1), Sweet Grass (1), Toole (11), and Valley (6).  All sales will be by online auction bidding. A description of tracts and maps are available on the DNRC website:  http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/trust/minerals-management/oil-and-gas-leasing-information and on EnergyNet website:  https://www.energynet.com/govt_listing.pl.

Scoping Notices 

Initial Proposal

Cripple Horse 12 Timber Sale
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Libby Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 165 acres on State Trust Land located in Section 12 of Township 31N Range 29W, approximately 15 miles northeast of the town of Libby, MT. 

Glen-Mud Timber Sale
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Stillwater Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 1,208 acres on State Trust Land located in Sections 16 and 36 of Township 36N Range 26W, approximately 5 miles east of the town of Eureka, MT. 

Olney North Timber Sale
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Stillwater Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 2,345 acres on State Trust Land located in Sections 33 of Township 33N Range 23W and Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, and 18 of Township 32N Range 23W, which surrounds the town of Olney, MT. 

Squeezer Meadow Multiple Timber Sale Project
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Swan River State Forest, is proposing a multiple timber sale project. The project area covers approximately 22,738 acres and harvesting activities would occur on approximately 10-30% of this project area. The proposed project is located on State Trust Land on various Sections in T24N R17W, T24N R18W, T23N R17W, and T23N R18W, approximately 9 miles southeast of Swan Lake, MT. 

Brownback Timber Permit
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Bozeman Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 17.5 acres on State Trust Land located in Sections 21 and 28 of Township 1S, Range 3W, which is approximately 9 miles southeast of Cardwell, MT. 

East Pete Timber Permit
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Bozeman Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 90 acres on State Trust Land located in Section 16 of Township 2S, Range 12E, which is approximately 15 miles east of Livingston, MT. 

Lower McKillop Timber Sale
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Libby Unit, is proposing a timber harvest on approximately 592 acres on State Trust Land located in Section 36 of Township 28N, Range 29W, which is approximately 21 miles southeast of Libby, MT. 

Ryan Mountain Timber Sale

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Trust Land Management Division (TLMD) Helena Unit is proposing the Ryan Mountain Timber Sale. The proposed Ryan Mountain Timber Sale is located approximately 5.5 miles south east of Boulder, MT on the following state-owned parcels: Township 5N, Range 3E, Sections 4 and 5.

Public Notices 

Montana Invasive Species Council AIS Grant Hearings

The Montana Invasive Species Council will hold an AIS grant hearing on Monday, April 18, 2022.  The meeting is scheduled from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. This is the second round of grants for this period. Approximately $85,000 is available to fund seven grant applications total over $134,400. The grant hearing agenda is available on the MISC website.

Contact Liz Lodman at 406-444-0547 with any questions about the grant hearing. 

Montana Forest Action Plan Request for Proposals

Program Goal and Purpose: Provide financial support for the implementation of projects as part of the Montana Forest Action Plan (MFAP). The MFAP is Montana's all lands, all hands plan for addressing forest health and wildfire risk issues across the state. The purpose of this grant program is to accelerate the pace and scale of forest management in order to reduce wildland fire hazards, improve forest health, and increase restoration activities on Montana’s forested lands.

Montana Forest Action Plan Implementation Program - Request for Proposals 

 Phillips Conservation District Board of Adjustment

• Variance Order - January 27, 2021
• Hearing on the joint motion filed In the Matter of American Prairie Reserve’s Petition for Variance from Phillips Conservation District Ordinance 2016-1 (MP4)
• BOA Public Notice - January 14, 2021

Clearwater Energy Resources Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

The Clearwater Energy Resources  FEIS is available for public review and can be found by clicking here. This FEIS has been prepared by Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to assess the impacts of leasing 4,484.7 acres of  school trust land in Custer, Garfield, and Rosebud counties to Clearwater Energy Resources LLC (Clearwater  Energy Resources). Clearwater Energy Resources is owned by NextEra Energy Resources,  LLC. The Proposed Action would lease the surrounding state trust land for the construction and operation of 11 wind turbine generators (WTG) and associated infrastructure. The proposed 11 WTG are part of a larger project known as the Clearwater Wind Energy Center (CWEC) that is being developed on private land surrounding the state trust land parcels.  

The decision maker has selected an alternative and the record of decision can be found here.

Lost Napa Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

The Lost Napa Multiple Timber Sale Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is available for public review. You can find the FEIS on the DNRC website here.

The decision maker has selected an alternative and the record of decision can be found here.

The FEIS was designed to address Swan River State Forest’s primary commitment to Montana’s mandated timber harvest levels over a three-year period. Timber sale contracts would subsequently be presented to the Land Board; upon approval these sales would be advertised intermittently from the spring of 2021 through the spring of 2024. After each sale is sold, harvesting and roadwork activities would take place for 2 to 3 years. The anticipated end date of harvesting activities is March 2025. Post treatment activities, such as site preparation, planting, and hazard reduction, would follow harvesting activities. 

Phase II restoration goals were developed to restore hydrologic processes, reconstruct the stream channel and floodplain to more natural conditions, improve water quality, and increase habitat complexity to provide spawning and rearing habitat for rainbow and brown trout and other native fish. Proposed restoration work will restore riparian and wetland habitat and improve connectivity to the Missouri River and provide for more consistent access for spawning runs tha tare comprised of a high percentage of trophy size trout. Phase II would complete the restoration work proposed for the lower 1.2 miles of Beaver Creek.

CARD Division Flat Creek Dispersed Tailings Removal and Restoration Draft EA

The Flat Creek Dispersed Tailings Removal and Restoration draft environmental assessment is available for public review and can be viewed by clicking here. Mineral County Conservation District proposes to use Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Conservation and Resource Development Division (CARDD) Reclamation and Development Project Grant funding to reclaim various areas impacted by contaminated materials from the former Flat Creek Iron Mountain Mine and Mill (IMM). The project area is outside the town of Superior, Mineral County, Montana. The proposed construction implementation date is May 2022 upon grant approval and supplies. DNRC will post this draft EA for 30 days, or until May 21st, 2022 5 PM MST for public comment. The DNRC contact listed within the draft EA document will review and address any comments submitted by the public before issuing a final finding of no significant impact statement.

CARD Division Interim Remedial Action at Milwaukee Road - Haugan Draft EA

The Interim Remedial Action at Milwaukee Road - Haugan State Superfund Facility draft environmental assessment is available for public review and can be viewed by clicking here. Mineral County proposes to use Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Conservation and Resource Development Division (CARDD) Reclamation and Development Project Grant funding to remove sludge and contaminated soil at the Haugan State Superfund Facility. The project area is outside the town of Haugan, Mineral County, Montana. The proposed construction implementation date is June 2022 upon grant approval and supplies. DNRC will post this draft EA for 30 days, or until June 8th, 2022 5 PM MST for public comment. The DNRC contact listed within the draft EA document will review and address any comments submitted by the public before issuing a final finding of no significant impact statement.