BLM Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota Air Resources

BLM Montana/Dakotas protects air resources in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in accordance with the  Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and collaborates with other federal and state agencies that have authority under the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) to regulate air emissions such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Montana Department of Environmental Quality, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality–Division of Air Quality, North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources - Oil and Gas Division, and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Air Quality Program. In addition, the BLM Montana/Dakotas participates in technical working groups and partners with other federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Most of the authorized sources of air emissions in BLM Montana/Dakotas are associated with new federal oil and gas development or other energy-related projects. Since the BLM Montana/Dakotas also manages several monuments, historic trails, wilderness study areas, and scenic rivers in the state, the BLM ensures a robust air resource analysis is completed to ensure the protection of these areas while still allowing responsible resource development on public lands. Completion of air resource analyses under NEPA requires an adaptive management approach that utilizes operational information from project proponents, various BLM tools to accurately estimate emissions, and dispersion modeling studies to analyze air quality impacts and provide a complete and comprehensive air resources NEPA assessment.