Montanans Stand Up For Stream Access
ByMore than 300 hundred Montanans came to the Capitol today to stand up for their right to access our streams, rivers and lakes. As we’ve reported recently, the Republican Party has restarted their assault on Montana’s rights to access our public water.
Rep. Welborn’s HB 309 seeks to rewrite the rules to accessing ditches in the state. If the bill is written into law, Montanans who enjoy fishing, floating and recreating on these waters would be shut out of hundreds of bodies of water in the state.
Today, the GOP received a clear message from Montanans; they value their right to access these streams and do not appreciate these rights being infringed.
Before the hearing, Sen. Kendall Van Dyk of Billings and several stream access activists lead a rally to excited the hundreds of Montanans who came to oppose the bill. During the hearing, Sen. Van Dyk spoke clearly for all in attendance when he said, “In Montana, access isn’t for sale.”
The committee will likely take executive action on the bill in the coming days.
"We believe that the current budget, heading to the Senate Floor next week, unnecessarily pits Montanans against, creating winners and losers” 