Don’t let Montana’s water protections be washed away

Montana is under threat – not from a natural disaster, but from a wave of legislative proposals that would erode the very laws designed to protect our water, our communities, and our future. This legislative session, a slate of bills (including House Bills 664, 684, 685, and 736) are attempting to roll back critical safeguards under Montana’s water quality laws and the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).

These proposals are deeply troubling. Collectively, they weaken non-degradation protections for high-quality waters, strip deadlines for water quality assessments, and make it easier for polluters to discharge contaminants into our lakes, rivers and streams.

House Bill 685, for example, introduces a so-called “feasibility allowance,” a bureaucratic rebranding of degradation, allowing polluters to justify harming water quality if it's cheaper or more convenient than protecting it. This runs counter to both common sense and our state’s constitutional guarantee of a clean and healthful environment.

Here in northwest Montana, we know what’s at stake. Flathead Lake is one of the cleanest large lakes in the world – and that’s no accident. It’s the result of decades of science-based policy, tribal stewardship, citizen advocacy, and strong environmental laws.

Water quality protections like those enshrined in MEPA and the Montana Water Quality Act ensure our communities have a voice when projects could affect our rivers, wetlands, and lakes. They’re also the tools that protect drinking water, fisheries, and recreational economies across the state.

Weakening these protections doesn’t just threaten Montana’s waters, it threatens our identity. If we begin to allow degradation of places like Flathead Lake or the Bitterroot River because it’s “feasible,” we risk becoming just another state that once had pristine resources and let them slip away.

What’s more, these bills set the stage for costly legal battles. Just last year, the landmark Held v. Montana youth climate case reinforced that Montanans have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. Legislation like HB 685 directly contradicts that ruling and will likely end up in court, wasting taxpayer dollars on defending the indefensible.

Montanans, regardless of political party, value our waters, our landscapes and our way of life. These bills do not reflect the will of the people. They reflect the will of special interests who view Montana as a place to extract and pollute, not as a place to call home.