Public Notice: Draft UIC Class V Aquifer Exemption Expansion and Area of Review Expansion – Montalban Oil and Gas Operations, Jody Field 34-1 & 34-2, Pondera County, Montana
Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program is providing public notice for the Montalban Oil and Gas Operations (MOGO) permit modifications and Aquifer Exemption (AE) expansion for the Jody Field 34-1 & 34-2 wells. The updated AE expands the area of the existing AE to account for the natural hydraulic gradient and accommodate for migration of injected fluids. The AE for the associated project has been updated based on comments received during the comment period provided ending in 2024. As a result, the Area of Review (AOR) for the permits has also been expanded. These wells are located in the Loneman Coulee Oil Field north of Great Falls in Pondera County, Montana. Relevant documents for this action can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-epa-region-8-co-mt-nd-sd-ut-and-wy or at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket # EPA-R08-OW-2025-0852.
The purpose of this public notification is to provide interested and affected parties the opportunity to specifically comment on the proposed changes to the MOGO Jody Field 34-1 & 34-2 draft permits and Draft AE Record of Decision, as required by 40 CFR §§ 25.4(c) and 124.10. The public will have until October 13, 2025, to provide comments on the proposed changes.
Public input that EPA will consider during this comment period are limited to the changes made since the first public notice period in 2023-2024, specifically the lateral AE expansion, expanded AOR, and AOR analysis. EPA will review all relevant comments and make a final decision on the proposed changes after the comment period closes.
This notice also serves to provide the public with notice of a public hearing on the proposed changes that will be held prior to the close of the comment period.
Regulations addressing aquifer exemptions can be found at 40 C.F.R §§ 144.7 and 146.4. Regulations addressing area of review can be found at 40 C.F.R §§ 146.6.
Further notifications about this opportunity for public comment will appear only on this website and will not be provided via newspaper.
Extension of public comment period on Draft UIC Class V Aquifer Exemption Expansion and Area of Review Expansion – Montalban Oil and Gas Operations, Jody Field 34-1 & 34-2, Pondera County, Montana
This notification serves to extend the comment period for the Draft UIC Class V Aquifer Exemption Expansion and Area of Review Expansion – Montalban Oil and Gas Operations, Jody Field 34-1 & 34-2 Draft Permits, Pondera County, Montana, public noticed on August 20, 2025. The public comment period is being extended for an additional 17 days for a total of 54 days in response to multiple requests from the public for additional time to review these actions and documents.
Please submit your comments to EPA Docket EPA-R08-OW-2025-0852-0001 on or before October 13, 2025.
The documents for the public to review can be found at: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-R08-OW-2025-0852-0002, which contains the full administrative record to date. New documents that were not provided in the initial public comment period are listed as documents 056 to 066. Documents 026 to 035 were available for review during the first public comment period.
Public Hearing Information:
The public hearing date will remain on September 23, 2025. Prior to the start of the public hearing, EPA will provide a short presentation to describe the proposed changes to the draft permits and aquifer exemption. This will be followed by the hearing. During this comment period, only comments directly related to proposed changes to the Area of Review Expansion and Aquifer Exemption Expansion will be considered.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, from 5:30pm to 8:00 pm at the:
Conrad High School
308 S Illinois St
Conrad, Montana 59425
Applicants or Respondents
Montalban Oil and Gas Operations Inc.33 1st Avenue Southwest
Cutbank, MT 59427
United States