Whitney Bausch

This Source Water Protection Plan, developed to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Montana Source Water Protection Program requirements, serves as a roadmap for safeguarding public drinking water supplies from contamination. It involves a detailed delineation and assessment process to identify potential contaminant threats and evaluate susceptibility within control, inventory, and recharge regions. Key components include background analysis, delineation of protection areas, contaminant inventory, susceptibility assessment, management strategies, and emergency planning to ensure water quality and system resilience.

The Board discussed jurisdictional and standing issues regarding an appeal by Valley Garden Land & Cattle LLC concerning the issuance of an Opencut Mining Permit amendment. Key discussion topics included the scope of the Board's jurisdiction under the Opencut Act, the impact of House Bill 599 on the Board's authority over water quality and environmental protections, and the standing of Valley Garden to challenge the permit decision. The participants also addressed whether the Applicant or the Department of Environmental Quality holds the responsibility for public notice and whether Valley Garden demonstrated sufficient injury to establish legal standing.

The board meeting agenda focuses on contested case updates and new filings, including matters related to Western Energy Company, Alpine Pacific Utilities, Valley Garden Land & Cattle LLC, Rosebud Mine, Decker Coal Company, Stillwater Mining Company, and R & D Transit. Action items include reviewing modifications to a settlement agreement for Western Sugar Cooperative and hearing arguments on a petition for costs and attorney fees regarding Rosebud Mine. Additionally, the board will discuss future meeting scheduling and provide an update on selenium litigation.

The session, pertaining to the Generation Work Group, included introductions from members of the task force and visiting members from other related committees. Key discussion topics centered on items slated for the full energy task force meeting, specifically Public Service Commission reform, the concept of an executive energy function, and serving large loads. The group reviewed the proposed legislation for Public Service Commission reform, which suggests changing the structure from an elected to an appointed five-member body with six-year terms, appointed via a seven-member selection committee. The subcommittee also began discussions on their internal to-do list items, including a nuclear energy policy framework and geothermal considerations. The group planned to review a problem statement and recommendations worksheet before opening the floor for public comment.

The primary focus of the meeting was to review and align on recommendations stemming from prior discussions, particularly concerning the West 10-year study on transmission and markets. Key discussion points included soliciting executive-level endorsement for the Westech 10-year study, which is regarded as foundational for future energy planning, and ensuring Montana has a seat at the table in ongoing and future regional collaborative efforts. There was consensus on the urgent need for expanded transmission infrastructure for reliability and economic efficiency. The subcommittee also discussed making the presentation materials from the Westech study available to the broader task force and generation group for review ahead of the full task force meeting.