Bill Would Double Protections for Montana Rivers

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) has proposed new legislation that would "permanently protect hundreds of miles of rivers and streams across southwestern Montana," reports Helena Dore.

The bill, titled the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, "would designate 336 miles of rivers and streams in the Lewis and Clark and Custer Gallatin National Forests as wild and scenic," according to Dore.

"If the bill passes, federal agencies will be required to preserve water quality, free-flowing conditions and certain 'outstandingly remarkable values' on dozens of miles of the Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, Boulder, Smith and Stillwater rivers and on sections of an additional 17 creeks." The bill would prevent the development of projects that could damage the rivers, like new dams as well as other energy, mining, and water diversion projects.

According to the article, demands for the waters and surrounding lands of these river is growing every year. Groups like the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, American Rivers, American Whitewater, the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Gallatin River Task Force have announced their support for the bill as a measure of protection against the growing demand for the region's resources. A total of 3,000 official endorsements back the bill, according to Dore.