Ashcraft Distorts Voting Record

In a recent letter to the editor Larry Ashcraft, a member of Don Loranger's Campaign Committee, distorted my voting record. He claims to have personally researched the information from the legislative Web site on his computer. It is very suspicious that Ashcraft's letter has the same rambling style and misrepresentations as other letters sent by other people.

Ashcraft questions my vote on several bills that he distorts. For example, Senate Bill 486 which I voted for came to the House with a perfect vote from the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Senate floor. The vote on the House floor was 95-5 in the affirmative.

This two-year temporary closure of new irrigation rights in SB486 was a good faith effort of the state to limit further strain on water availability for Avista (hydroelectric facility near Plains) while an agreement was being worked out.

Between sessions I researched the accuracy of Avista's claims by analyzing 100 years of river flow data from the US Geological Survey Web site. I determined that the human impact on water flow to Avista's dams by Montana citizens is not measurable. In fact, the average flow of the Clark Fork River at Plains over the 100-year period has held constant at 20,000 cubic feet per second.

During the next session, the Department of Natural Resources asked me to carry a water bill for them. I consented since water rights are one of my priorities. Much to my surprise, the bill contained a permanent closure of the Clark Fork Basin for new irrigation rights. I rewrote the bill and substituted a Clark Fork Basin Water Management Task Force for the basin closure. I was able to convince the Department of Natural Resources, Avista and others to support my bill which put everyone at the same table to work out water conflicts and develop a long range plan. The bill passed and the plan has been completed. The plan does not contain a basin closure to new irrigation rights.

My work has kept the basin open to new irrigation rights which is just the opposite of what Ashcraft claimed. Like other Don Loranger supporters, he failed in his due diligence before he unquestioningly submitted a letter to the editor on Loranger's behalf.

Organizations that have objectively examined all of my votes such as the Montana Family Foundation and the Montana Family Coalition have graded me 100 percent. I have received the support and endorsement of the Montana Shooting Sports Association and the National Rifle Association. Also, I was chosen by my fellow Republican legislators to assist in developing the conservative action plan for the future of the Montana Republican Party as a member of the Legislative Campaign Committee. I would appreciate your vote June 6.

Verdell Jackson

Republican Candidate for Senate District #5