---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revise coal-fired power/water-right owner legal responsibilities"
description: "Revise coal-fired power/water-right owner legal responsibilities"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 87"
citation: "Montana SB 87 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Environmental Protection", "Local Government (see also: City Subjects; County Subjects)", "Water"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Duane Ankney"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 51
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2020-07-02"
last_action: "2021-05-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/148007ca-60f9-4f41-8e94-2550bb444c3f"
source_url: "http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0210W$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_NO1=87&P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=SB&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SESS=20211"
source_hash: "b4ddd681272584ac5e0346838d8ed043f98c8eed39645e6174cf0a2dc49c4ac2"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-mt"]
---

# Montana SB 87 (2021) — Revise coal-fired power/water-right owner legal responsibilities

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **SB0087_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0087_1.pdf)
2. **SB0087_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0087_2.pdf)
3. **SB0087_3.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0087_3.pdf)
4. **SB0087_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0087_X.pdf)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/SB0087.pdf)

## Votes

- BE CONCURRED IN AS AMENDED — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **96–4** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **42–8** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **46–3** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **97–1** (pass) · lower
- DO PASS AS AMENDED — **12–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **43–6** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **36–14** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Duane Ankney — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-07-02** Draft Request Received
- **2020-11-17** Draft to Requester for Review
- **2020-11-19** Draft in Legal Review
- **2020-11-22** Draft in Edit
- **2020-12-16** Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2020-12-16** Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2020-12-31** Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2020-12-31** Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2021-01-02** Executive Director Review
- **2021-01-02** Draft in Assembly
- **2021-01-04** Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2021-01-04** Executive Director Final Review
- **2021-01-04** Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2021-01-05** Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2021-01-07** Introduced `introduction`
- **2021-01-07** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-01-07** Referred to Committee - (S) Energy and Telecommunications `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-07** Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2021-02-18** Hearing - (S) Energy and Telecommunications
- **2021-02-23** Amendments Available
- **2021-02-25** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (S) Energy and Telecommunications `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-26** Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (S) Energy and Telecommunications `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-26** Printed - New Version Available
- **2021-03-01** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-03-01** 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2`
- **2021-03-01** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-03-02** 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-03-02** Transmitted to House
- **2021-03-02** Referred to Committee - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-08** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-03-15** Hearing - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations
- **2021-04-07** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred as Amended - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations
- **2021-04-09** Printed - New Version Available
- **2021-04-12** Committee Report--Bill Concurred as Amended - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations
- **2021-04-15** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-15** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-04-20** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-04-20** 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-20** Returned to Senate with Amendments
- **2021-04-22** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-22** 2nd Reading House Amendments Concurred `amendment-amendment, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2021-04-23** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-04-23** 3rd Reading Passed as Amended by House `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-23** Sent to Enrolling
- **2021-04-30** Returned from Enrolling
- **2021-04-30** Printed - Enrolled Version Available
- **2021-05-04** Signed by President
- **2021-05-04** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-05-04** Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-10** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-11** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/148007ca-60f9-4f41-8e94-2550bb444c3f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).