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Articles with the Tag: Water Compact

Who’s yea and who’s nay on the CSKT Water Compact Who’s yea and who’s nay on the CSKT Water Compact

MONTANA — Standing before reporters at a press event in the Montana Capitol on Jan. 15, State Sen. Al Olszewski called a long-negotiated water compact between the state of Montana, the federal government, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes “the most divisive issue in modern Montana h...

Damage claim report should be shared with Lake County

In anticipation of a Settlement Act that would implement the Montana Water Rights Compact, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes began doing their homework several years ago to come up with a settlement dollar amount that would satisfy the damage claims inflicted on the Flathead Reservation by the Flat...

Daines-Tester bill deserves support

Editor,  The Jan. 22 Valley Journal included a story entitled “Olszewski and Republican cohort ask Daines to withdraw CSKT compact bill.” The bill in question was introduced in December by senators Daines and Tester to “finalize a long-negotiated water compact between Montana, the f...

Montana Water Protection Act is a bad bill

Senators Daines and Tester are co-sponsoring draft legislation in the US Senate entitled the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act” ostensibly to approve the Flathead Irrigation Water Compact Agreement approved by the Montana Legislature. However, the bill goes far beyond this agreement.  ...

Water compact protects water rights of all Montanans

Let me begin with Al’s favorite claim – that the MWRPA would take water rights away from 350,000 Western Montanans.  This is completely false.  The MWRPA protects the water rights of all Montanans. It requires the CSKT to permanently relinquish 97 percent of all water rights claim...

Daines says he’ll introduce new agreement to settle CSKT water dispute

An agreement between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the federal government over long-disputed water rights took a major step forward Thursday when Montana Sen. Steve Daines said he plans to introduce a bill that would implement a new settlement framework. “Today is a really importan...

Resolution supports water compact

Editor, A resolution in support of the CSKT-Montana Water Compact originated in July at the Lake County Conservation District with full support of the members. It then advanced to the Area 5 October meeting. After receiving approval at the area meeting, it advanced to the state-wide meeting in Kalispell. ...

Trump administration signals support for CSKT water compact Trump administration signals support for CSKT water compact

MONTANA — Through two top cabinet officials, the Trump administration has signaled its support for a proposed settlement of the reserved water right claims of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.  First in a Nov. 18 letter from U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to Montana S...

Water Rights Compact is good for agriculture

MONTANA – The success of Montana’s agriculture industry is dependent upon water and water right certainty. It is easily the single most important resource for people across Montana, which is why ratification of the negotiated Montana CSKT Water Compact is critical. Contrary to what compact opp...

Supporting water compact

Editor, We (the Lake family) and most of our neighbors on the Flathead Indian Reservation support the CSKT water compact. It protects our state-based water claims, it provides certainty that we will have water to continue farming, it provides money to improve the aging infrastructure of our water project,...


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