As we review the official first half of the Montana Legislative session, itâs safe to say the session is looking good for Montana agriculture. Of the 3,357 total bill draft requests, 1,121 have been formally introduced. Montana Farm Bureau has taken a stance and lobbied for or against 60 of those, based on the policy directives of our farming and ranching members. Many of the bills we have supported are already on their way to the Governorâs desk. There are no bills left alive from the first half that we have opposed, unless they have been amended in a way that either no longer makes them harmful or, in some cases, even makes them policy we could now support.
Resolution supporting St. Mary Diversion repair passes Montana House
Transmitted to Senate; congressional delegation expresses support
Courtesy photo/File photo
The site where work is being done in late August on Drop 5 of the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works next to the North Fork of the Milk River is seen from overhead.
The Montana House of Representatives unanimously sent to the Senate a resolution urging authorization of funding and work to repair the lifeline of the Hi-Line. The bill, with primary sponsor Rep. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, and 23 other sponsors including Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, and Sens. Mike Lang, R-Malta, and Russ Tempel, R-Chester, directs the state government to support funding for the repair and replacement of the St. Mary Diversion and Milk River Project immediately and ask for appropriation funding to complete the much-needed repairs and replacement of the diversion a.
St. Mary Diversion, a remarkable success in a trying year
Courtesy photo
Construction crews work on Drop 5 of the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works in August.
One of the more remarkable stories of the year is that of the St. Mary Diversion and it s 22-week-long repair after experiencing a catastrophic failure back in May. Nearly all involved with the effort called it a remarkable example of teamwork and inter-organizational cooperation in a year plagued by social isolation. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman said this project is an example to the nation of what they can do when they work together.