House Passes Daines' East Bench Irrigation District Bill

Press Release

Representative Steve Daines successfully passed legislation through the House today that provides farmers and ranchers in Montana's Eastern Bench Irrigation District (EBID) with a stable water supply.

The East Bench Irrigation District Contract Extension Act (H.R. 4508), comes from Daines' work to provide the EBID with much-needed certainty as it awaits approval of a long-term contract with the Bureau of Reclamation regarding the Clark Canyon Dam and Reservoir near Dillon, Montana.

"Hearing that water services delivery could be in jeopardy for 60,000 acres of some of the most productive farmland in my home state of Montana, I was happy to introduce this legislation that ensures that irrigation in southwest Montana is protected," Daines said during debate on the House floor. "The Irrigation District's work with me on this bill represents how Montanans can roll up their sleeves and get good things done. As a result, water will continue to flow in the Beaverhead Valley's fields for years to come if this legislation is enacted."

Bill Hristco of Dillon testified in favor of Daines' bill at a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power in June. Hristco serves as general counsel for the EBID and has represented it in negotiating the renewal of the 40 year Repayment Contracts with the Bureau of Reclamation.

H.R. 4508 extends the existing contract through 2019 and ensures irrigation for thousands of acres of farmland in Beaverhead and Madison Counties by keeping the Clark Canyon Dam and Reservoir in operation.

The contract for the EBID was executed in 1958--however, it expired on December 31, 2005 and the district has since been operating under a short term extensions of a 2006 contract which has not yet been finalized by the Montana Water Court.

Daines' bill was passed on a voice vote without opposition. It is similar to S. 1965, legislation introduced earlier this year by former Montana Senator Max Baucus.

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