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Montana agriculture producers are once again under attack by Montana politicians and this time it is a Republican politician. As a Republican legislator representing a Montana agricultural constituency, I am concerned with this attack on rural Montana.
Governor Gianforte has become a real disappointment to many of us in rural Montana to which he continually exhibits animosity. This once again became evident during the last legislative session with his veto of the bipartisan bill (SB 442) which designated a percentage of marijuana tax dollars to provide for maintenance of rural county roads. The Governor shifted these “pot taxes” to Fish and Wildlife acquisitions.
Sportsmen and recreationists are responsible for much of the damage to these rural roads and yet Gianforte apparently does not want the “pot tax” dollars to be used for assisting rural counties which often have thousands of miles of these seasonally used roads to maintain with a limited tax base. Yet, Governor Gianforte would rather spend tax dollars on expanding government ownership of property—so much for private property protection.
Then Gianforte sued the county commissioners who reduced excessive state property taxes. The left-wing court backed him and ordered these surplus taxes collected be deposited into the state general fund which has $2 to $3 billion dollars of surplus—is that fiscally responsible?
Now the state is after water rights. The Gianforte administration is apparently claiming that if an adjacent private landowner has a water well on his property, and even runs a garden hose to a water tank on adjoining state land that he leases, the state would assume ownership of half of his water rights which were privately developed and was only temporarily used to improve the productivity on a state lease.
State confiscation of water rights have been a goal by the radical left for a number of years and now it appears this Republican governor has joined forces on this attack against the most basic of property rights—private ownership of agriculture water usage!
This follows Gianforte and Sen. Daines joining Denny Rehberg’s lobbying effort (for a reported $3 million payment) in conjunction with Democrat Tester to give the Western Montana Indians the water rights of Western Montana lakes and rivers based on a weak interpretation of the 1855 Treaty granting the Indians rights to fish in the lakes and rivers. Since when does the “right to fish” translate into their ownership of all water rights…?
The result is Western ranchers’ senior water rights for their private land has been subjected to control of the Indian Reservation (i.e. Federal Government)—so much for state control and regulation of its water!
There is a Republican primary choice for the governor in the June primary—if voters have concerns about Gianforte policies; this is the time to consider a Republican option. Gianforte’s opponent had a good voting record in the 2023 Legislature and is a businessman— the June Primary election is critical so vote wisely.
Editor Note: Perhaps we need to call the damage to roads "Pot Holes"
