No accountability with BIA, CME
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There was a meeting in Missoula on Jan. 24 about operation and maintenance of the Flathead Irrigation Project. This meeting was called because the Flathead Joint Board of Control and the CME board have been disbanded. The BIA called this meeting, yet only the three district Chairmen and two lawyers from each of three districts, the Tribal chairman of the CME, maybe someone from the project and some BIA officials were invited. What’s troubling is that you and I, the ones paying the bill for the FIP and the CME, are not invited. One more private, secret, meeting that the Montana Supreme Court just ruled is not permitted to happen. These same BIA officials involved in this meeting are the same ones threatening increased instream flows on the reservation, if the people of Western Montana don’t accept the CS&KT compact as written.
#1. We demand representation and accountability. It’s our money being spent for operating the Flathead Irrigation Project, salaries and wages, supplies, fuel, equipment, repairs, and fish screens, everything. Accountability, because right now the BIA or the CME won’t respond back to the irrigators on money spent on management contracts and costs previous years, they send that information to the BIA. This has to be addressed. I don’t know of any business in the world that doesn’t report to the investors.
#2. We want reports on stream flows. This makes project management accountable to the ones who pay the wages. This takes very little effort and personnel are available. Maintaining stream flows and capturing water to fill the reservoirs is number-one priority for the project. There is 1,350,000 acre feet of water running through the reservation; taking 280,000 acre feet to Flathead project and taking 270,000 to present instream flows leaves 800,000 acre feet reservation water nobody’s talking about. Think about this.
#3. Over the last two years there have been a lot of closed meetings to advance the CS&KT compact. It’s time for Western Montana and the irrigators of the FIP to stand up and say no more, and demand the taxpayer-funded officials to obey the law and be open and honest to the people with real law and solutions.
Tim Orr
St. Ignatius
