LETTER: Dr. Al for governor

The Montana Water Rights Protection Act was recently introduced to the U.S. Senate as a “fix” to the flawed 2015 Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Water Compact.

Sen. Dr. Al Olszewski of Kalispell, who is running for Montana State Governor, will not quit fighting for everyone’s rights.

Senator Dr. Al understands the insanity. He courageously offers a new solution.

A solution to forego any sort of “fix” and to immediately create a Montana water rights defense

fund. State sovereignty is clearly under siege. Citizens across our great state fear CSKT (FEDERAL) off-reservation water claims.

To allay this fear, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines-R and Representative Kerry White-R Bozeman, console off-reservation citizens of Montana by stating “The MWRPA protects the water rights of all Montanans and requires the CSKT to permanently relinquish 97% of all water rights claims, forever”.

Unfortunately, this statement is completely false, dare I say fraudulent! CSKT corporate minutes approved Jan. 7, 2020, reveal shocking facts when Tribal water rights attorney Rhonda Swaney admits “We did not give up 97% of our water. The MWRPA will ratify the (2015) compact and the tribal water rights in the (2015) compact. If we accept the settlement under the MWRPA, the Tribes would convey to the state co-ownership of the state’s upper Flathead Basin Rights, but the Tribes retain the same amount of water.”

Co-ownership is not giving up 97% of the water! — David Passieri, St. Ignatius