Montana Indian Legislators Endorse Tester
Tester Says Respecting Sovereignty, Government-to-Government Relations are Priorities
U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester announced today Montana Indian Legislators supporting his campaign.
Archive for the 'rural' Category
Tester Raps Burns for Doing Little To Move St. Mary Canal Project Forward
Senate President Helped Move State Funding to Rehabilitate Canal
Montana Senate President Jon Tester today rapped Senator Burns for failing to introduce legislation to get the St. Mary Canal project moving to ensure water for the Milk River basin on Montana’s Hi-Line.
“Senator Burns pledged to get this critical project moving, but so far he has not delivered for Montana farmers and irrigators who count on this water to make their living,” Tester said. “It’s time to elect a senator who will fight for Montanans, not disgraced lobbyists like Jack Abramoff.”
Tester said that if he is elected he will work hard to ensure that Congress provides funding to restore the St. Mary Canal, an aging system in danger of failing. The system provides critical water supply for agriculture and communities in the Milk River basin.
Senator Conrad Burns has claimed that the St. Mary’s canal rehabilitation project is a top priority. Yet, to this point, Burns has made little progress in getting the more than $100 million needed to complete the project. In fact, this spring, Senator Burns pledged to craft and introduce legislation to initiate the rehabilitation of the St. Mary’s canal. The time to introduce legislation draws short with no St. Mary’s bill from the senator.
In the 2005 Montana Legislature, Tester helped provide state funding to move the project forward. And Tester was a chief sponsor of a successful resolution that urged Congress and the federal government to advance the St. Mary project.
Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s working group, composed of irrigators, recreationists, tribal representatives, and municipalities, continues to collaborate with State and Federal agencies on this important project for Montana.
As a U.S. Senator, Tester said he will be a determined voice for the project and work together with these grass-roots representatives to get the job done.
