It looks as though both of Montana’s U.S. Senators will succeed in their push to pass two bills through the Senate that have a direct impact on Montana communities. The Clean Water for Rural Communities Act (S.685) is the first of these two and was introduced by Sen. Steve Daines and Sen. Jon Tester. It impacts two Bureau of Reclamation rural water projects in Montana: the Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System and the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System. This bill is a bipartisan effort to authorize the Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System, which will facilitate water treatment and delivery to more than 4,500 Montanans in portions of Judith Basin, Wheatland, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Fergus, and Yellowstone Counties, as well as authorizing the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System to continue working with the Bureau of Reclamation to complete their feasibility study. This bill was first introduced by the Montana senators in March 2017 and has finally made it out of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and is scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.
The second bill, S.1882, was introduced by Daines this past June and is expected to soon be approved for a vote by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. This bill would allow the Sidney and Kinsey Irrigation Districts to continue receiving affordable power that facilitates irrigation. These two districts together serve more than 130 family farms and irrigates nearly 12,000 acres of farm land in eastern Montana. Doug Martin, Board President of Kinsey Irrigation Company, said, “The passage of this bill through Committee is very good news to Kinsey Irrigation farmers. This is a bright spot in what has been a tough year of agriculture. This is great news and we appreciate Senator Daines and the Committee’s attention to our bill.”
Regarding his push for bills focused on Montana’s water Daines said, “Clean, reliable drinking water is one of the most basic needs of life, yet many of our rural communities lack suitable access. My legislation ensures that rural Montanans will not be forgotten…I thank my colleagues for supporting these important pieces of legislation and look forward to getting them to the President’s desk.” As a member of the Committee responsible for pushing these bills through, Daines was instrumental in getting them pushed to a vote.
The second bill, S.1882, was introduced by Daines this past June and is expected to soon be approved for a vote by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. This bill would allow the Sidney and Kinsey Irrigation Districts to continue receiving affordable power that facilitates irrigation. These two districts together serve more than 130 family farms and irrigates nearly 12,000 acres of farm land in eastern Montana. Doug Martin, Board President of Kinsey Irrigation Company, said, “The passage of this bill through Committee is very good news to Kinsey Irrigation farmers. This is a bright spot in what has been a tough year of agriculture. This is great news and we appreciate Senator Daines and the Committee’s attention to our bill.”
Regarding his push for bills focused on Montana’s water Daines said, “Clean, reliable drinking water is one of the most basic needs of life, yet many of our rural communities lack suitable access. My legislation ensures that rural Montanans will not be forgotten…I thank my colleagues for supporting these important pieces of legislation and look forward to getting them to the President’s desk.” As a member of the Committee responsible for pushing these bills through, Daines was instrumental in getting them pushed to a vote.
