Governing Law and Regulations
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Local fire departments
See ADDRESSES & CONTACTS for addresses and telephone numbers.
See national section for basic information and federal regulations.
Comparison: State vs. Federal
• Rules. "Hazardous substance" is a broad classification that includes hazardous chemicals, hazardous wastes, and petroleum products. Montana generally follows federal rules for hazardous substance storage. See the national section HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE STORAGE for additional guidance.
Montana has adopted the federal definition of hazardous substance under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). CERCLA authorized EPA to respond to and remedy polluted sites and created the Hazardous Substance Superfund to pay for site cleanups when there was no clear-cut responsible entity to do so. For an overview of Superfund, see the state section SUPERFUND.
Montana regulates ASTs under the state fire code. Montana has adopted the Uniform Fire Code. See the state section ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANKS for details.
Montana's UST program follows the federal program, except that it covers additional types of tanks and contains several ...