diff --git a/.npmignore b/.npmignore
index f1250e5..8757baa 100644
--- a/.npmignore
+++ b/.npmignore
@@ -2,3 +2,5 @@ support
 test
 examples
 *.sock
+.db
+.migrate
diff --git a/bin/migrate-create b/bin/migrate-create
index 61dda0e..31ed414 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-create
+++ b/bin/migrate-create
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 var program = require('commander')
 var path = require('path')
+var dotenv = require('dotenv')
 var log = require('../lib/log')
 var registerCompiler = require('../lib/register-compiler')
 var pkg = require('../package.json')
@@ -17,10 +18,21 @@ program
   .option('-t, --template-file [filePath]', 'Set path to template file to use for new migrations', path.join(__dirname, '..', 'lib', 'template.js'))
   .option('-e, --extention [extention]', 'Use the given extention to create the file', '.js')
   .option('-g, --generator <name>', 'A template generator function', path.join(__dirname, '..', 'lib', 'template-generator'))
+  .option('--env [name]', 'Use dotenv to load an environment file')
   .arguments('<name>')
   .action(create)
   .parse(process.argv)
 
+// Setup environment
+if (program.env) {
+  var e = dotenv.config({
+    path: typeof program.env === 'string' ? program.env : '.env'
+  })
+  if (e && e.error instanceof Error) {
+    throw e.error
+  }
+}
+
 var _name
 function create (name) {
   // Name provided?
diff --git a/bin/migrate-down b/bin/migrate-down
index 82ca467..7ced975 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-down
+++ b/bin/migrate-down
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 var program = require('commander')
 var path = require('path')
 var minimatch = require('minimatch')
+var dotenv = require('dotenv')
 var migrate = require('../')
 var runMigrations = require('../lib/migrate')
 var log = require('../lib/log')
@@ -20,11 +21,22 @@ program
   .option('--migrations-dir <dir>', 'Change the migrations directory name', 'migrations')
   .option('--matches <glob>', 'A glob pattern to filter migration files', '*')
   .option('--compiler <ext:module>', 'Use the given module to compile files')
+  .option('--env [name]', 'Use dotenv to load an environment file')
   .parse(process.argv)
 
 // Change the working dir
 process.chdir(program.chdir)
 
+// Setup environment
+if (program.env) {
+  var e = dotenv.config({
+    path: typeof program.env === 'string' ? program.env : '.env'
+  })
+  if (e && e.error instanceof Error) {
+    throw e.error
+  }
+}
+
 // Load compiler
 if (program.compiler) {
   registerCompiler(program.compiler)
diff --git a/bin/migrate-init b/bin/migrate-init
index e809a1a..b36d5cd 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-init
+++ b/bin/migrate-init
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 var program = require('commander')
 var mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
+var dotenv = require('dotenv')
 var path = require('path')
 var log = require('../lib/log')
 var pkg = require('../package.json')
@@ -14,11 +15,22 @@ program
   .option('-s, --store <store>', 'Set the migrations store', path.join(__dirname, '..', 'lib', 'file-store'))
   .option('--migrations-dir <dir>', 'Change the migrations directory name', 'migrations')
   .option('-c, --chdir [dir]', 'Change the working directory', process.cwd())
+  .option('--env [name]', 'Use dotenv to load an environment file')
   .parse(process.argv)
 
 // Change the working dir
 process.chdir(program.chdir)
 
+// Setup environment
+if (program.env) {
+  var e = dotenv.config({
+    path: typeof program.env === 'string' ? program.env : '.env'
+  })
+  if (e && e.error instanceof Error) {
+    throw e.error
+  }
+}
+
 // Setup store
 var Store = require(program.store)
 var store = new Store(program.stateFile)
diff --git a/bin/migrate-list b/bin/migrate-list
index 8088efd..a52eed6 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-list
+++ b/bin/migrate-list
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ var program = require('commander')
 var path = require('path')
 var dateFormat = require('dateformat')
 var minimatch = require('minimatch')
+var dotenv = require('dotenv')
 var migrate = require('../')
 var log = require('../lib/log')
 var registerCompiler = require('../lib/register-compiler')
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ program
   .option('--migrations-dir <dir>', 'Change the migrations directory name', 'migrations')
   .option('--matches <glob>', 'A glob pattern to filter migration files', '*')
   .option('--compiler <ext:module>', 'Use the given module to compile files')
+  .option('--env [name]', 'Use dotenv to load an environment file')
   .parse(process.argv)
 
 // Check clean flag, exit if NODE_ENV === 'production' and force not specified
@@ -32,6 +34,16 @@ if (program.clean && process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && !program.force) {
 // Change the working dir
 process.chdir(program.chdir)
 
+// Setup environment
+if (program.env) {
+  var e = dotenv.config({
+    path: typeof program.env === 'string' ? program.env : '.env'
+  })
+  if (e && e.error instanceof Error) {
+    throw e.error
+  }
+}
+
 // Load compiler
 if (program.compiler) {
   registerCompiler(program.compiler)
diff --git a/bin/migrate-up b/bin/migrate-up
index fc333ef..71d67aa 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-up
+++ b/bin/migrate-up
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 var program = require('commander')
 var path = require('path')
 var minimatch = require('minimatch')
+var dotenv = require('dotenv')
 var migrate = require('../')
 var runMigrations = require('../lib/migrate')
 var log = require('../lib/log')
@@ -23,8 +24,22 @@ program
   .option('--migrations-dir <dir>', 'Change the migrations directory name', 'migrations')
   .option('--matches <glob>', 'A glob pattern to filter migration files', '*')
   .option('--compiler <ext:module>', 'Use the given module to compile files')
+  .option('--env [name]', 'Use dotenv to load an environment file')
   .parse(process.argv)
 
+// Change the working dir
+process.chdir(program.chdir)
+
+// Setup environment
+if (program.env) {
+  var e = dotenv.config({
+    path: typeof program.env === 'string' ? program.env : '.env'
+  })
+  if (e && e.error instanceof Error) {
+    throw e.error
+  }
+}
+
 // Check clean flag, exit if NODE_ENV === 'production' and force not specified
 if (program.clean && process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && !program.force) {
   log.error('error', 'Cowardly refusing to clean while node environment set to production, use --force to continue.')
@@ -37,9 +52,6 @@ if (program.init && process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && !program.force) {
   process.exit(1)
 }
 
-// Change the working dir
-process.chdir(program.chdir)
-
 // Load compiler
 if (program.compiler) {
   registerCompiler(program.compiler)
diff --git a/examples/env/.env b/examples/env/.env
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a71ce89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/env/.env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DB=contributors
diff --git a/examples/env/.foo b/examples/env/.foo
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9902e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/env/.foo
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DB=foo
diff --git a/examples/env/README.md b/examples/env/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e91a95b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/env/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Environment Example
+
+```
+$ migrate up --env
+$ migrate down --env
+$ cat .db # should see table of `contributors`
+
+$ migrate up --env .foo
+$ migrate down --env .foo
+$ cat .db # should see table of `foo`
+```
diff --git a/examples/env/db.js b/examples/env/db.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b151444
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/env/db.js
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+'use strict'
+var fs = require('fs')
+
+module.exports = {
+  loaded: false,
+  tables: {},
+  table: function (name) {
+    this.tables[name] = []
+    this.save()
+  },
+  removeTable: function (name) {
+    delete this.tables[name]
+    this.save()
+  },
+  insert: function (table, value) {
+    this.tables[table].push(value)
+    this.save()
+  },
+  remove: function (table, value) {
+    this.tables[table].splice(this.tables[table].indexOf(value), 1)
+    this.save()
+  },
+  save: function () {
+    fs.writeFileSync('.db', JSON.stringify(this))
+  },
+  load: function () {
+    if (this.loaded) return this
+    var json
+    try {
+      json = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('.db', 'utf8'))
+    } catch (e) {
+      // ignore
+      return this
+    }
+    this.loaded = true
+    this.tables = json.tables
+    return this
+  },
+  toJSON: function () {
+    return {
+      tables: this.tables
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e50f14a..cb70d2e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
     "chalk": "^1.1.3",
     "commander": "^2.9.0",
     "dateformat": "^2.0.0",
+    "dotenv": "^4.0.0",
     "inherits": "^2.0.3",
     "minimatch": "^3.0.3",
     "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
diff --git a/test/fixtures/env/env b/test/fixtures/env/env
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a6696f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/env/env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DB=pets
diff --git a/test/integration.js b/test/integration.js
index f4dff6d..2965e42 100644
--- a/test/integration.js
+++ b/test/integration.js
@@ -1,20 +1,25 @@
-/* global describe, it, beforeEach */
+/* global describe, it, beforeEach, afterEach */
 const path = require('path')
 const assert = require('assert')
 const rimraf = require('rimraf')
 const mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
 const run = require('./util/run')
+const db = require('./util/db')
 
 // Paths
 const TMP_DIR = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures', 'tmp')
+const ENV_DIR = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures', 'env')
 
 function reset () {
+  rimraf.sync(path.join(ENV_DIR, '.migrate'))
   rimraf.sync(TMP_DIR)
   mkdirp.sync(TMP_DIR)
+  db.nuke()
 }
 
 describe('integration tests', function () {
   beforeEach(reset)
+  afterEach(reset)
 
   it('should warn when the migrations are run out of order', function (done) {
     run.init(TMP_DIR, [], function (err, out, code) {
@@ -94,4 +99,18 @@ describe('integration tests', function () {
       })
     })
   })
+
+  it('should load the enviroment file when passed --env', function (done) {
+    run.up(ENV_DIR, ['--env', 'env'], function (err, out, code) {
+      assert(!err)
+      assert.equal(code, 0)
+      assert(out.indexOf('error') === -1)
+      run.down(ENV_DIR, ['--env', 'env'], function (err, out, code) {
+        assert(!err)
+        assert.equal(code, 0)
+        assert(out.indexOf('error') === -1)
+        done()
+      })
+    })
+  })
 })