Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 10.29.14

10 | OCTOBER 29, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Commission Drafts New Letter
Facts
FIGURES
Numbers in the news
3,037
Number of single- family homes sold in the seven major markets across the state, including the northwest corner, in the third quarter of 2014, a 4.36 percent increase over the same time last year.
14.6
Percent increase in home sales reported by the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors.
123
White-tailed bucks
taken in Northwest Montana the opening weekend of the 2014 hunting season.
3,154
Hunters in Northwest Montana on opening weekend, 200 more than a year ago.
to State About Water Compact
Letter outlines county concerns as negotiations on the compact continue
By MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon
The Flathead County Commission held another contentious hearing in its chambers last week, this time focusing on a letter it will send to the governor re- garding the state’s water compact with the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
The Oct. 23 hearing was a short event, much to the dismay of many in the audi- ence. Public comment was limited to 15 minutes before the 9 a.m. hearing, and many of the people who spoke during that time bemoaned the lack of a longer public comment session.
At issue was a letter the commission drafted to send to Gov. Steve Bullock, which outlines multiple questions and concerns the commission has and would like answered as negotiations on the com- pact continue.
The concerns from the letter are as follows:
• Our current residential, commercial and municipal water rights should be recognized and protected from all in the future. Negotiations for the compact should ensure adequate water is avail- able for future growth in western Mon- tana.
• Our agricultural economy needs a sta- ble and secure water supply free from conflict to ensure high quality and plen- tiful crop and livestock production.
• It is our desire that State Water policy makers should engage in negotiations and avoid litigation. To this end, adopt- ed water policies should protect Flat- head County and its citizens from the need to uphold their water rights.
• Environmental water needs must be considered in order to protect the aquat- ic system so important to our fisheries, recreation and tourism. The cultural
The Flathead County Commission. BEACON FILE PHOTO
heritage of ALL Montanans includes protection of our aquatic system for our generation and those to come.
• Basin closures should be avoided, and le- gally available water for future use in ba- sins now restricted should be acquired through negotiations. We must ensure that Flathead County is not prohibited from growth by a failure to acquire water from basins such as the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Our development future de- pends on the acquisition of water that is currently legally unavailable within the Federal Reserve system. Please ensure this acquisition is part and parcel of a fi- nal solution to the water issue.
Many familiar faces spoke to the com- mission about the water compact, includ- ing local current and former lawmakers. Sen. Verdell Jackson, R-Kalispell, said he still has concerns about the compact as it is written.
He urged the commission to reconsid- er sending the letter to the governor.
“This letter is poorly written,” Jack- son said. “It could be interpreted as sup- porting the compact.”
Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell, said the commission is right to draft and send the letter, and that it is “timely and appro- priate.”
“You should talk to the governor,” Tut- vedt said. “(The letter) asks questions the people have.”
The CSKT and the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission are currently undergoing negotiations on the compact. The goal is to have the compact ready for approval for the 2015 Legisla- ture, which starts in January.
It was with these current negotiations in mind that Commissioner Gary Krueger said he wrote the recent letter.
The letter is not an endorsement or a non-endorsement, he said, because the compact is still a living document and he won’t support or oppose a document that isn’t finalized.
Commissioner Cal Scott apologized to the crowd for the lack of time for pub- lic comment, but said the letter addresses relevant issues of concern for Flathead County.
Commisssioner Pam Holmquist said Krueger’s letter points out good ques- tions. She would not support it, however, unless it was amended.
She wanted to remove a section of the final paragraph of the letter, which reads “... continues negotiations free of racism, partisan politics, and with a desire to avoid protracted litigation,” and add in- stead “we believe a compact should be ne- gotiated, but don’t support the compact as currently written.”
Holmquist made a motion to amend the letter, but it died for lack of another commissioner seconding the motion.
She then said she was confused as to why Scott wouldn’t support her amend- ments, because he has said in the past that he is against the compact as it is written.
Krueger reiterated that the compact is still under negotiation, and he believes that if the commission says it opposes it, it would give the impression that the com- mission opposes any compact.
The commission voted to send the let- ter 2-1, with Krueger and Scott in favor and Holmquist opposed.
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