The Environmental Improvement Board proposed amendments to regulations governing standards for protection against radiation and radiation safety requirements for industrial radiographers, well logging, and irradiators. The amendments would align the regulations with NRC federal regulations. A hearing will be held February 29, 2024. Comments are due the same date. See https://www.srca.nm.gov/nmac/nmregister/xxxv/NMEDnotice_xxxv01.html.
The Environmental Improvement Board proposed amendments to regulations governing fees for licensure of radioactive materials. The amendments would increase license application and annual fees, entail the collection of annual fees prospectively rather than retrospectively, standardize the annual fee due date to July 1, phase in annual fees over FY 2025 and FY 2026, and adjust fees with the consumer price index increases beginning in FY 2027. A hearing will be held February 29, 2024. Comments are due the same date.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted amendments to control methods for the gray wolf. The amendments remove any reference to Montana’s wolf management plan to ensure that the plan cannot be referenced as a rule. See https://sosmt.gov/docs/118/2024/62390/issue-1-current (pp. 76-77).
The Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted new rules governing grizzly bears. The new rules pertain to definitions, an annual quota for delisted grizzly bears, criteria for determining mortality thresholds, allowable lethal and non-lethal management measures, restrictions on baiting, management requirements for delisted grizzly bear populations, and annual reports detailing human-bear conflicts. See https://sosmt.gov/docs/118/2024/62390/issue-1-current (pp. 60-75).
The Department of Environmental Quality proposed amendments to regulations governing the state superfund, petroleum tank cleanup, and solid waste. The amendments would adopt and incorporate by reference the most recent editions of the federal drinking water maximum contaminant levels, EPA’s regional screening levels for chemical contaminants at federal Superfund sites, reportable quantities for hazardous substances under CERCLA, and Montana’s risk-based corrective action guidance for petroleum releases. Comments are due February 9, 2024.
The Department of Environmental Quality proposed amendments to regulations governing hard-rock mining and exploration. The amendments would, among other things, adopt a new rule on exploration license assignments and amend provisions concerning reclamation requirements, operating permit applications, enforcement, annual reports, and blasting operations. A hearing will be held February 7, 2024. Comments are due February 9, 2024. See https://sosmt.gov/docs/118/2024/62390/issue-1-current (pp.
The Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks adopted new public use regulations, concerning, among other things, prohibited conduct, fee compliance and closure, property disturbance, and sanitation and waste disposal. See https://sosmt.gov/docs/118/2024/62390/issue-1-current (pp. 45-59).
The Department of Conservation added two crayfish species and a freshwater mussel species to the state endangered species list. The crayfish species are found in the St. Francis River watershed and the freshwater mussel species is found in the Black, Current, Spring, and St. Francis River watersheds. See https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/moreg/2024/v49n2Jan16/v49n2.pdf (p. 96).
The Division of Energy adopted an amendment to regulations governing Missouri’s Renewable Energy Standard. The amendment clarifies that black liquor is not an eligible renewable energy resource under the standard unless used as an input for the thermal depolymerization or pyrolysis of waste material. See https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/moreg/2024/v49n2Jan16/v49n2.pdf (pp. 98-99).
The Department of Natural Resources proposed amendments to regulations governing the shell recycling tax credit. The amendments would rename the chapter “Shell Recycling Grant Program” and create a process for nonprofit organizations, community associations, restaurants, and seafood processors and dealers to donate oyster shells to an authorized shell recycling collector and receive grants based on the amount recycled. Comments are due February 12, 2024.