Representative Paul Tuss, House District 27, opened the hearing on House Bill 808, saying the bill would expand Montana’s petroleum brownfields law to cover hazardous substances and establish a state brownfields fund to supplement federal brownfields grants.

Proponents from economic development organizations and local governments said the state fund would help rural communities prepare projects for federal funding and cover costs often missing from federal awards—assessment, demolition, and hazardous‑materials abatement. Eric Seidensticker, chair of the Montana Economic Developers Association policy committee, and Leah Lewis of Jefferson Local Development Corporation said state funds would build local capacity and leverage competitive federal grants; Lewis described a local EPA grant application where costs rose from an initial estimate of about $1 million to roughly $3.1 million and said local organizations lack the technical staff to assemble strong federal applications.

Several witnesses urged an appropriation to capitalize the proposed fund. Sponsor Tuss said he would ask the committee or the Senate to add a modest appropriation and suggested $2,000,000 as a starting point; he and witnesses described the existing Montana brownfields infrastructure as ready to “plug and play” if funding were provided.

Sonya Nowakowski, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and Amy Steinmetz (DEQ waste‑management division administrator) testified as informational witnesses and said the bill authorizes DEQ to adopt rules for the program. DEQ told the committee it would prefer federal funds be used first and that state funding would augment federal resources and increase the number of projects that could be addressed.

Proponents urged a do‑pass recommendation. No committee vote on HB 808 is recorded in the transcript.