State of Montana Newsroom
DEQ Announces Approval of Montana’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announces that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued its final approval of Montana’s regional haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on August 10, 2022. The approval affirms Montana’s long-term strategy to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas in accordance with the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA’s Regional Haze Rule.
“Montanans care deeply about clean air and the iconic views that define our state," said DEQ Director Sonja Nowakowski. "EPA’s final approval reflects the strong, science-based work undertaken by DEQ staff to ensure air quality and visibility in our national parks and wilderness areas "
“Montana’s commitment to addressing regional haze is a testament to their hard work in safeguarding Montana's natural beauty and wilderness areas,” said EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western." Approving this plan reinforces our shared goal of ensuring clean air for every American by working collaboratively with state partners to advance these efforts."
Montana’s 2022 SIP submission outlines the state’s approach to ensuring reasonable progress toward preventing future and remedying existing visibility impairment—commonly known as regional haze. The plan fulfills all applicable requirements for the second phase of the regional haze program, including updated long-term strategies and emissions assessments.
Additional information about Montana’s regional haze program and SIP submissions can be found at deq.mt.gov.