Daines introduces North Fork Watershed Protection Act

Montana Republican Congressman Steve Daines introduced a bill Wednesday that would ban future energy leases on federal lands the North and Middle Fork of the Flathead watersheds.

“As a fifth generation Montanan and sportsman, I know how special the Treasure State is,” Daines said during the May 5 announcement. “Efforts to protect the North Fork Watershed, like the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, are a good example of how we can work together to put Montana first. That’s why I’m introducing legislation to protect this valuable resource, while also ensuring that current recreational uses, livestock management, and forest management in this region are maintained.”

The Daines bill is the first federal bi-partisan land use bill in Montana since a wilderness bill passed in the 1980s. Former President Ronald Reagan as a favor to incoming Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, however, vetoed that bill.

The North Fork bill has a companion bill, written in 2010, sponsored by Montana Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.

A bill with bi-partisan support has a much greater chance of passage.

The bill does not impact existing leases in the drainages, but bans any new leases on federal lands. Many energy companies have already relinquished existing leases in the region.

The ban does not have any impact on recreational use, forest management or livestock use in the watersheds.

The bill is a complement to a British Columbia ban on energy exploration in the Canadian Flathead. That ban ended decades of haggling about coal and gold mine exploration in the drainage. The North and Middle Forks make up a large portion of the western and southern boundary of Glacier National Park.