Montana Environmental Information Center & Sierra Club v. Montana Department of Environmental Quality

Environmental advocacy group challenged the Department of Environmental Quality’s issuance of an air-quality permit for a proposed generating station. Held that the Department appropriately considered the facility’s noise impacts as required under the Montana Environmental Policy Act, but did not analyze lighting impacts and greenhouse gas emissions as required under the then-applicable language of the Act. However, the court reversed the vacatur of the permit, finding that the trial court did not sufficiently apply the specific findings that the Act required for equitable relief.