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Read. Follow. Verify.Montana Restricts Environmental Lawsuits and Imposes $240 Court Fee for Challenges
Last action · May 23, 2025: (S) Died in ProcessSponsor: Daniel Zolnikov
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 340 establishes a $240 additional court filing fee for legal challenges against state agency decisions under the Montana Environmental Protection Act (), restricts court reviews strictly to the administrative record, and prohibits courts from awarding attorney fees or costs to prevailing parties.
Plaintiffs challenging state environmental permits face higher upfront court costs, stricter evidentiary hurdles, and timelines requiring agencies to complete corrective actions within 90 days of a court .
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Plaintiffs challenging state environmental reviews
Plaintiffs must pay an additional $240 filing fee, cover agency record compilation costs, face strict evidentiary limits, and cannot recover attorney fees.
Project sponsors
Project sponsors may intervene in lawsuits as a matter of right and benefit from expedited agency action timelines and restricted grounds for legal challenges.
State agencies
Agencies must compile certified records at the challenger's expense and complete corrective actions within 90 days following a court remand.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the new filing fee for challenging a state environmental review in court?
Can plaintiffs recover their attorney fees if they successfully challenge an agency's environmental review?
What is the deadline to file a challenge against a final agency action under MEPA?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
22 actions- May 23, 2025Senate(S) Died in Process
- Apr 7, 2025Senate(S) Missed Deadline for Revenue Bill Transmittal
- Feb 27, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Printed
- Feb 26, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Signed
- Feb 25, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Received
- Feb 25, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Tabled in Committee
Show 16 earlier actions
- Feb 22, 2025Senate(S) Hearing Canceled
- Feb 21, 2025Senate(S) Hearing
- Feb 17, 2025Senate(S) 1st Reading
- Feb 17, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Requested
- Feb 17, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Referred to Committee
- Feb 17, 2025SenateIntroduced(S) Introduced
- Feb 17, 2025House(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- Feb 17, 2025House(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- Feb 13, 2025House(LC) Draft in Assembly
- Feb 13, 2025House(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- Feb 13, 2025House(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- Feb 8, 2025House(LC) Draft in Edit
- Feb 7, 2025House(LC) Draft in Legal Review
- Jan 6, 2025House(LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
- Dec 13, 2024House(LC) Draft On Hold
- Dec 13, 2024House(LC) Drafter Assigned
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Strict Limitation on Environmental Challenge Remedies
The bill systematically restricts judicial review of MEPA challenges by capping evidence to the administrative record, banning attorney fee awards, and imposing a specialized $240 filing fee dedicated to the environmental rehabilitation and response account.
Connected Entities
Sources
bills.legmt.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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