Bullock signs ceremonial water compact in Pablo
Linda Sappington
Senator Chas Vincent, Governor Steve Bullock, Tribal Chairman Vernon Finley and Representative Dan Salomon, not pictured, gather around a table in the Council Chambers Thursday as Bullock ceremoniously signs the passage of the water compact.
Linda Sappington
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Chairman Vernon Finley thanks everyone who worked hard on the approved water compact.
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
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PABLO — Although the official signing of the passage of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ water compact took place in Helena, on Thursday the CSKT tribal council hosted Governor Steve Bullock and Senator Chas Vincent for a ceremonial signing.
“While we did have to sign it during the legislature, I thought it was so important to come here and host this ceremonial signing today,” Bullock said. “Sometimes it does seem more difficult to get around the table and solve contentious issues. We did that.”
Bullock commended the Tribal council for their willingness to listen to concerns of folks, and where appropriate, make changes.
Vernon Finley, tribal council chairman, was also grateful.
“There are so many people that did so much hard work with this for so long … I tell you, it’s humbling,” Finley said. “I want to thank all of those people.”
A previous version of the compact, sponsored in the 2015 legislative session by Vincent as SB246, did not pass during the 2013 legislature. At that time, Vincent was opposed to it.
“I was pretty unconvinced to say the least back in 2013. There were still some concerns I felt were unaddressed,” Senator Vincent said, thanking the council for listening to his updates during the 2015 legislative session. “I know there was some pretty severe and rightful skepticism on me coming in to share some of those things, because I was in fact someone who worked really, really hard to derail the previous compact.”
Vincent thanked the council for ultimately accepting some changes the committee recommended, and said he is committed to working to get the compact ratified through Congress.
“This is pretty much half time, there’s still a hill to climb and the clock is ticking,” he said.
