Montana State Legislature

Environmental Quality Council Legislation

At its last meeting of the interim on September 13, the EQC adopted the following as committee bills:

• LCaisb - pays for AIS programs by drawing about half of the funding from fees on watercraft and anglers and half from the general fund. The EQC opted to cut the AIS fee for nonresident anglers in half (from $15 to $7.50/year). That change wouldn't occur until the second year of the EQC’s proposal to avoid difficulties with altering prices during a license year. The EQC crafted the total package to provide $6.5 million in funding per year for AIS programs.
• LCfpa4 - assesses fire preparedness fees to landowners by parcel, with additional fees for structures and parcels in forested areas. The total amount of the fees is limited to one-third of the appropriation for the state’s fire preparedness budget or $6 million, whichever is less. That is in addition to whatever the legislature appropriates, up to $1 million, for aviation equipment replacement.
• LCdog4 - repeals the current laws on field trials and training. Under the proposal, permits are required only for field trials on public land. Training is allowed without limitation except that birds to be killed in training must be marked or tagged.
• LClib1 - eliminates the Libby asbestos Superfund site liaison created by the 2017 Legislature and renames an advisory committee as an oversight committee.
• LCelk1 - allows the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to issue a license, permit, or combination license to hunt elk to a landowner for every four hunters the landowner allows to hunt elk on his or her property.