The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act reached a major milestone on November 19 when it advanced through the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on a 10-9 party-line vote. Despite the fact that the bill enjoys overwhelming support from Montanans across the political spectrum, Montana’s junior Senator, Steve Daines, voted against it, saying it is too ambitious and lacks support from a handful of county commissions that weighed in at the 11th hour. This marks the first time the legislation has been sent to the U.S. Senate floor, and it can now be considered for inclusion in a public lands package that Congress may pass by year’s end.
Sponsored by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act (MHLA) would add 19 rivers and 327 river miles in the headwaters of the Missouri and Yellowstone River systems to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. If passed into law, the MHLA would permanently protect the free-flowing nature, water quality, and outstanding values of some of Montana’s most cherished and iconic waterways, including the Gallatin, Yellowstone, Smith, Boulder, and Stillwater rivers.
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Fourteen years in the making, the MHLA is community-driven, broadly supported, and deeply vetted legislation crafted by thousands of Montanans who understand the importance of clean water and healthy rivers to the two biggest pillars of the state’s economy – agriculture and outdoor recreation. This legislation carefully balances protecting rivers from dams and other harmful projects, while also allowing traditional uses like recreation, grazing, and forest management to continue.
Since the bill was first introduced in Congress in 2020, support for the MHLA has continued to grow. To date, the MHLA has garnered the support of 3,500 citizens and community leaders and more than 2,000 Montanabased businesses, including the largest mining company in the state. Numerous statewide polls over the past four years show more than 8 out of 10 Montanans support the legislation, including supermajorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
Of Montana’s 177,000 miles of rivers and streams, less than 0.02% have been protected as Wild and Scenic. Since 1976, only 20 miles of one stream, East Rosebud Creek, have received new Wild and Scenic River protections. Meanwhile, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah have added nearly 1,000 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers since 2009.
To give the MHLA the best shot of passing into law by year’s end, we need all of Montana’s four-person congressional delegation paddling in the same direction.
Ask Rep. Zinke to support the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act! It only takes 90 seconds to make a difference!
A love for our rivers is something that unites Montanans from across the political spectrum. If we can’t protect the smallest sliver of our absolute best rivers and streams, what kind of Montana do we think we will pass along to future generations?
