20 Questions About Climate Change - What is the Montana Pollution Reduction Plan?

As of April 2024, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) applied for federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), for climate change adaptation. The efforts "will support healthy communities through innovative Montana-made solutions," DEQ director Chris Dorrington said in a press release.

The Energy Infrastructure and Efficiency Upgrade Project is the first collection of measures. The objective of the four proposals, valued at $48.9 million, is to promote sustainability.

"[These measures] enable investments in energy audits and efficiency improvements, contributing to a cleaner environment and creating jobs," says DEQ.

Measure 1: The School Energy Performance Initiative focuses on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from K-12 schools by improving HVAC systems, insulation, lighting and appliances. This initiative would also help schools access energy from renewable sources and make landscaping and waste management more sustainable. $24.5 million.

Measure 2: The Conversion of Fleet Vehicles to Cleaner Fuels effort provides incentive-based rebates to organizations that transition to electric vehicles. Examples include school and transit buses, delivery and local government vehicles, plus utility equipment and locomotive engines. These are matched grant funds valued at $10.3 million.

Measure 3: The Investments in Electric Grid Technology plan prepares for a rise in electricity usage and extreme weather events by improving energy transmission and distribution systems and integrating more renewables. $11.9 million.

Measure 4: The Commercial Energy Efficiency Measures (C-PACE Audits), co-sponsored by the Department of Commerce, seeks to improve the efficiency of government, nonprofit and commercial buildings by providing upfront capital to commercial owners who upgrade energy efficiency and water management on their properties. As C-PACE requires property owners to undergo energy audits and third-party reviews, which are often cost prohibitive, this measure supplements the auditing fees. $2 million.

The second collection is called the Montana Forest, Community and Working Landscapes Climate Resiliency Project. The comprehensive aim of the seven measures, totaling $49.7 million, is to use Montana land (62% agricultural and 28% forested) as a carbon sink, or a natural carbon storage solution.

Measure 1: The Forest Management and Wildfire Mitigation proposal supports reforestation through cone gathering and the growing and planting of 2.5 million seedlings. Wildfire mitigation is additionally a focus, and tree thinning on 8,000 acres of forest land is planned. $8.2 million.

Measure 2: The Expand Healthy Urban and Community Forests measure "maximizes grant funding for local urban forestry and green infrastructure programs, particularly in underserved communities," according to DEQ. $9.7 million.

Measure 3: The Mitigate and Extinguish Coal Seam Fires effort addresses coal seams, which are underground coal deposits that sometimes ignite spontaneously. Once they combust, they are hard to extinguish. This initiative subsidizes county and tribal programs in the Powder River Basin to access special equipment and contracting support for actively burning fires. $9.8 million.

Measure 4: The Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution and Associated Algal Blooms funding will support DEQ’s continued efforts to use grazing management strategies and septic system updates to mitigate algae bloom in floodplains, wetlands and riparian areas. $1 million.

Measure 5: The Fertilizer Use Innovation for Improved Soil Health concept targets "nitrogen-based fertilizer use innovations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions", as per DEQ, to better nurture soil to sequester carbon. $1 million.

Measure 6: The Ranchland Stewardship Program, with the Department of Agriculture, capitalizes software development to serve ranchers working to improve soil health and implement regenerative grazing methods. $10 million.

Measure 7: The Incentivize Innovation in the Cattle and Beef Industry develops a feedlot program, with cost-sharing and technical assistance, for animal waste management. It includes equipment upgrades and web-planning tools to reduce environmental impacts from the beef supply chain. $10 million.

In total, Montana applied for 11 initiatives and $98.7 million in federal funding. The full plan is available online at https://deq.mt.gov/files/About/CPRG/CPRG%2004022024%20Update.pdf.

DEQ reports that federal funding decisions will be announced in July, 2024 and, if awarded, Montana will open applications for usage. The DEQ website offers details available to the public, along with status alerts: https://deq.mt.gov/about/climate-resilience.