Montana Historical Society
Archives
UPRS 154_RS 496
Montana.
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation,
Facility Siting Division records
1968-1994
5.4 linear feet
This collection is a subgroup
(Division) of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation records,
RS 496. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Natural Resources and Conservation records. The Facility Siting Division
(defunct) superceeded DNRC's Energy Division. These records include correspondence, project
files, the long range plans of various utility companies required to be filed with the
Division, and subject files.
78:8-3
English
Historical Note
In 1971, as a result of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971, the Department of Natural
Resources and Conservation was created to manage the state’s natural resources. It was and
still is presently responsible for promoting the stewardship of Montana's water, soil,
forest, and rangeland resources; for regulating forest practices and oil and gas exploration
and production. As part of the 1995 government reorganization, the Department of State Lands
was abolished, and its responsibilities were transferred to the Department of Natural
Resources and Conservation.
As of 2024, the Department is made up of the following Divisions: Director’s Office,
Conservation and Resource Development Division, Forestry-Trust Lands Division, and Water
Resources Division. Each Division oversees a number of Bureaus, Offices, Programs, etc. The
Energy Division’s responsibilities have been transferred to the Department of Environmental
Quality. The Facility Siting Division, which superceeded the Energy Division, is also
defunct.
Additionally, nine boards and commissions are attached to the Department. Six of them—the
Board of Land Commissioners, Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission, Board of Oil and Gas
Conservation, Board of Water Well Contractors, Flathead Basin Commission, and Montana Grass
Conservation Commission—have decision-making authority. The other three—the Resource
Conservation Advisory Council, Rangeland Resources Committee, and Drought Advisory
Committee—act in an advisory capacity only.
The collection includes correspondence (1968-1979), project files (1973-1994), the long
range plans of various utility companies (1973-1978) required to be filed with the Division,
and subject files (1973-1988).
The collection is arranged (preliminary only) into series: correspondence, project files, and subject files.
Collection is open for research.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and
makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission
must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not
necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases,
permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright
owners.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
Preliminary sorting only.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 496, in order to help
facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival
practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's various
Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated
into this collection, RS 496. Rather than reprocessing over 280
linear feet of DNRC materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding
aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over
the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding
aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if
this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should
search under these terms.
Public
utilities--Montana.
Montana
Detailed Description of the Collection
Correspondence
1 / 1
"Citizen correspondence" (incoming correspondence
from citizens)
1973-1979
1 / 2-8
"DNRC correspondence" (inter-office correspondence
with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, including the Board of
Natural Resources and Conservation, State Mapping Advisory Committee, Water Resources
Division)
1973-1978
1 / 9-21
"Federal correspondence" (incoming and outgoing
correspondence with federal agencies, including Bonneville Power Administration,
Forest Service, Energy Research and Development Administration, Bureau of Reclamation,
Bureau of Land Management, Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission)
1968-1979
1 / 22-26
"Local government correspondence" (incoming
correspondence from the Billings-Yellowstone City-County Planning Board, Carbon County
Planning Office, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Regional Planning Association of Western
Montana, including a copy of their by-laws)
1973-1976
1 / 27
"Others" correspondence (incoming correspondence,
mostly from organizations and businesses, including Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai
B'rith, Environmental Policy Institute, Montana Society of Appraisers, National Field
Research Center)
1974-1978
1 / 28-35
"State correspondence" (incoming and outgoing
correspondence and memoranda from other state agencies, including the Attorney
General, Dept. of Community Affairs, Dept. of Fish and Game, Governor's Office, Dept.
of Highways, and the Environmental Quality Council)
1973-1979
2 / 1-4
"State correspondence" (incoming and outgoing
correspondence and memoranda from other state agencies, including the Dept. of State
Lands, Lieutenant Governor's Office, and the Public Service Commission)
1973-1979
Projects
2 / 5
AMOCO CO2 projects
1987
2 / 6
Beaver Creek Project (Tenneco, Inc., Intake Water
Company)
1977-1983
2 / 7
Carter Ferry Hydroelectric Project (Montana Power
Company)
1981-1982
2 / 8
Clark Fork Diversion Project (Green Management
Corporation)
1983-1984
2 / 9
Columbus-Rapelje Auto Substations transmission line
(Montana Power Company)
1992
2 / 10
Consolidation Coal Company: Decker transmission line
11980-1982
2 / 11
Crow Tribe: Synfuel plant
1975-1980
2 / 12
Decker Coal Company: Proposed new mines
1975-1976
2 / 13
Fort Union Coal Project
1980-1982
2 / 14
Fort Union Coal Project: Kuntz's file
1973-1980
2 / 15
Garrison-Helena 230kV transmission line (Montana
Power Company)
1984
2 / 16
Golden Sunlight Mines' tailings pond leak
1987
2 / 17
Hydroelectric power (includes material concerning the
Small-Scale Hydro Task Force/Governor's Hydropower Task Force, and a National
Hydroelectric Power Study)
1980-1982
2 / 18
Libby Integration Project (Bonneville Power Company)
1978-1983
2 / 19
LORAN-C Transmitter Station (Federal Aviation
Administration)
1987
3 / 1
Meridian Land and Mineral Company (re Circle West
Tract Addition Wildlife Studies)
1982-1990
3 / 2
Mill Creek Hydroelectric Project (Southern Cross
Engineering and Construction, Inc.)
1983
3 / 3
Municipal Hydroelectric Study ("lost opportunities
study, "includes report: Potential Lost Opportunities for Hydroelectric Development on
Municipal Water Supply Systems in the Northwest, done for the Bonneville Power
Administration)
1981-1985
3 / 4
Noxon Rapids-Pine Creek Project (Washington Water
Power Company) -Application -Construction guidelines -Correspondence -Maps Report to
the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation
1982-1986
3 / 5
Painted Robe-Roundup 100kV Rebuild (Montana Power
Company)
1991
3 / 6
Painted Rocks Reservoir (Bonneville Power
Administration)
1981-1982
3 / 7
Pan Aero Wind Generation Project
1980-1982
3 / 8
Peterson-Tendoy 69kV Line (Idaho Power Company)
1989-1990
3 / 9
Powder River Regional Coal Team (RCT)
1980
3 / 10
Rosebud Mine (Western Energy Company)
1981-1985
3 / 11-13
State Lands (Montana Department of)
1990-1994
3 / 14-15
Stillwater Complex (Montana Power Company)
1975-1985
3 / 16
Stillwater PGM Resources East Boulder Mine (Park
Electric Cooperative, Inc.)
1990-1991
3 / 17
Superconducting Super Collider Project (GeoResearch,
Inc.)
1987
3 / 18
Westmoreland Resources: 20-year plan
1975-1977
3 / 19
Yellowtail-Lovell-Thermopolis 230-kV Project (Western
Energy Company)
1987
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1973
4 / 1
Beartooth Electric Co-operative, Inc.
1974
4 / 2
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1972-1973
4 / 3
Portland General Electric Company
1972-1974
4 / 4
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
1973-1974
4 / 5
Washington Water Power Company
1973
4 / 6
Miscellaneous: Possible applications
1973-1977
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1974
4 / 7
Central Montana Electric Generation and Transmission
Cooperative, Inc.
1974
4 / 8
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1974
4 / 9
Montana Power Company
1974
4 / 10
Pacific Power and Light Company
1974
4 / 11
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
1974
4 / 12
Washington Water Power Company
1974
4 / 13
Miscellaneous: No new construction (Amax Coal
Company, Ark Land Company, Big Horn County Electric Cooperative, Black Hills Power and
Light Company, Chevron Oil Company, Concho Petroleum Company, Consumers Gas Company,
Continental Oil Company (Conoco), Flathead Electric Cooperative, Gary Operating
Company, Glacier Electric Cooperative
1974
4 / 13
Miscellaneous: No new construction (cont) Kerr-McGee
Coal Corporation, Marias River Electric Cooperative, Montana Light and Power Company,
Northern Electric Co-op, Northern Natural Gas Company, Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, Park Electric Co-Operative, Portland General Electric Company, Town of Saco,
Shelby Gas Association, Shell Oil Company, Southeast Electric Cooperative, Sun River
Electric Cooperative, Thunderbird Resources (Big West Oil Company),
1974
4 / 13
Miscellaneous: No new construction (cont) Tongue
River Electric Cooperative, Union Oil Company of California, United States Steel
Corporation, Upper Missouri G & T Electric Cooperative, Utah International (Utah
Construction and Mining Company, Valley Electric Cooperative, Vickers Energy
Corporation, Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative)
1974
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1975
4 / 14
Beartooth Electric Cooperative, Inc.
1971
4 / 15
Dreyer Brothers, Inc.
1974-1975
4 / 16
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1975
4 / 17
Ontario Hydro
1971
4 / 18
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
1975
4 / 19
Washington Water Power Company
1975
4 / 20
Miscellaneous: No new construction (Chevron Oil
Company, Colorado Interstate Gas Company, Cut Bank Gas Company, Pacific Power and
Light Company)
1975
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1976
4 / 21
Dreyer Brothers, Inc.
1976
4 / 22
Farmers Potash Company
1976
4 / 23
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1976
4 / 24
Montana Power Company [no copies of the long range
plan in the folder]
1976
4 / 25
Montana Trade Commission
1976
4 / 26
Northern Lights, Inc.
1976
4 / 27
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
1976
4 / 28
Upper Missouri G & T Electric Cooperative
1976
4 / 29
Washington Water Power Company
1976
4 / 30
Miscellaneous: No new construction (Chevron Oil
Company, Colorado Interstate Gas Company, Pacific Power and Light Company)
1976
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1977
4 / 31
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
1977
4 / 32
Colorado Interstate Gas Company
1977
4 / 33
Dreyer Brothers, Inc.
1977
4 / 34
Farmers Potash Company
1977
4 / 35
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1977-1979
4 / 36
Northern Lights, Inc.
1977
5 / 1-4
Pacific Power and Light Company [folders labeled
#1-#5, however, #2 is missing]
1977-1978
5 / 5
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
1977
5 / 6
Washington Water Power Company
1977
5 / 7
Miscellaneous: General
1977
5 / 8
Miscellaneous: No new plans (Chevron Oil Company)
1977
Project Files: Long Range Plans, 1978
5 / 9
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
1978
5 / 10
Dreyer Brothers, Inc.
1978
5 / 11
Farmers Potash Company
1978
5 / 12
Fergus Electric Cooperative, Inc.
1978
5 / 13-14
Montana-Dakota Utilities Company
1977-1978
5 / 15
Montana Power Company
1978
5 / 16
Northern Lights, Inc.
1978
5 / 17
Washington Water Power Company
1978
5 / 18
Miscellaneous: No new plans (Chevron Resources
Company)
1978
Subject Files
5 / 19
Council of State Governments
1973-1978
5 / 20-22
CREB (Conservation and Renewable Energy Bureau): "Gas
Furnaces and Appliances" publication; Heat recovery ventilating (HRV) workshops;
Miscellany
1986-1988
5 / 23
Facility siting seminar
1983-1984
5 / 24
Ford Foundation Study
1978-1981
5 / 25
Impacts of Transmission Lines on Agriculture: Study
plan
1984
5 / 26
National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC)
1970, undated
5 / 27
National Conference of State Legislatures
1976-1978
6 / 1
National Governors' Conference/Association
1977-1978
6 / 2
Other states
undated
6 / 3
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning methodologies
draft
1978
6 / 4
Proposed facilities in Montana
1980-1981
6 / 5
Tokyo Electric Power Company (re regulatory history
and current research on health and environmental effects of ultra high voltage
transmission lines)
1986
6 / 6-8
Wind Energy Assessment: General; Draft report; Staff
working papers
1983-1986