JACKSON, Wyo. — On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act (MHLA) passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for the first time in its legislative history.
According to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC), which has been working on this legislation for 14 years, the MHLA will now be considered for inclusion in a public lands legislative package that will be voted on by the Senate in December.
The MHLA aims to protect and preserve 384 miles across 20 of the state’s rivers, most of which are located within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). This includes 39 miles of the Gallatin River, 56 miles of the Madison River and 19 miles of the Yellowstone River. Buckrail previously reported that the work for the MHLA began back in 2010 and was inspired by Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation successes at Wyoming’s Snake Headwaters, Idaho’s Owyhee Canyon and Utah’s Virgin River.
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by Congress in 1968, and is explained by the National Park Service as a designation of protection for river segments with “outstandingly remarkable values” in a free-flowing condition.
Wild and Scenic designations currently protect more than 13,400 miles of rivers across the U.S., according to the GYC, including more than 450 miles of river segments within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that are primarily in northwestern Wyoming.
But, the GYC confirms that the future of GYE rivers is not secure due to a changing climate, new dams and diversions and a rapidly growing population, among other pressures.
The bill passed on a 10-9 party line vote. GYC writes that Montana’s Senator Steve Daines (R) voted against the legislation under the suggestion that it lacks local support.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth,” GYC writes. “Montana river conservation is a non-partisan issue.”
According to the GYC, public opinion research repeatedly demonstrates that roughly 85 percent of Montanans support the MHLA.
