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Thanks for helping Libby, Sen. Daines

Right now the U.S. Congress is in the midst of a fierce debate over the future of our nation’s health-care system. In the midst of this very important discussion about a subject that impacts every American, it would have been easy to overlook a program aimed at helping one little town in far Northwest Montana.

That is why I am writing this letter to express our (my and Libby’s) thanks to Sen. Steve Daines for his efforts to protect an important provision for Libby residents affected by asbestos. Thousands of current and former Libby residents have benefited from the provision which provides money for asbestos illness screenings, makes anyone — regardless of age — with an asbestos-related illness eligible for Medicare, and provides a pilot program allowing for medical care and daily living assistance not covered by Medicare.

As Republicans in Congress prepared to roll out their plan to repeal and replace Obamacare earlier this month, Sen. Daines sent a letter and engaged in talks with congressional leadership bringing the Libby issue to their attention. I am pleased to say that the American Health Care Act presented to Congress left the Libby provision untouched and these vital programs for the people of Libby would have continued under this plan.

I share Sen. Daines’ desire to see Obamacare repealed and replaced. However, what is happening in Libby is a public health emergency and these programs are unrelated to the larger law. We must continue to care for those in our community affected by asbestos, and I thank the senator for going to bat for us. —Steve Gunderson, Libby Republican, House District 1

Caution: Don’t trust out-of-state interlopers

After getting an invite to attend the meeting on March 18 at Snappy’s, I decided I would go just to see what was up. Sen. Fielder’s husband, Paul, and his friends from Utah, Big Game Forever, came to present two things. First why I should support SB236, which is yet another attempt to modify our state’s 1972 Constitution, and this Utah’s group asking for me to basically allow them to take over my duties, on a national basis, and do my wildlife work for me.

To begin with, I am smart enough to get after my elected people locally, statewide, and nationally about anything that I so desire, especially wildlife issues. We do not need out-of-state interlopers interfering with what is our responsibility to do. Yeah, sometimes the money may dictate, but it still boils down to us doing our job. Locally, we have reps from numerous STATE hunting groups and wildlife oriented hunting members who do this. Plus add how active our Citizens Advisory Council has been in Region 1, and you see, it is our job to keep after all the above mentioned people who make decisions to do their job on hunting/fishing problems. Many local hunters do not realize it was Region 1’s Citizens Advisory Council that got the black bear season in its current form.

Unless it gets changed, wording in SB236 may open up what has occurred in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, etc., called Ranching for Wildlife. If game animals are thus on my property, under that concept, my new fencing goes up restricting it from leaving, and thus I get to do my own management. Montana’s 1972 Constitution mandates all state residents own the state’s wildlife, even non-hunters, and that should protect us from this concept, which by the way, privatization has been pushed by Big Game Forever. Hunting for the rich or at least, those who can pay for it. A very dangerous path to be on.

Plus add the Fielders’ push to take over federal lands, and I am not sue just where they really want any of this to go. They talk a good game, but my alert hackles are on full alert after this meeting involving Big Game Forever. They present a four-minute video about how moose are almost extinct in Jackson Hole ... then my Inter Lake arrives on March 20, and on page 2, Wyoming Fish and Wildlife just completed their winter survey on moose at Jackson Hole and show there are currently 346 there now, versus 231 last winter ... obviously not extinct. Wyoming screwed the whole wolf management up. Montana had a wolf management locked up through Sen. Tester’s bill, but Big Game Forever got involved and stopped that from going through, as they want to be in control, and held up us being able to hunt wolves. Be very cautious of all these potential unintended consequences, as they may mean we lose our ability to hunt as we know it. Bad enough too many locals abuse Plum Creek (now Weyerhaeuser) lands, which is a privilege to hunt on, let alone elected people trying to “end around” said privilege. Be very careful with some of these people in power. —Michael Shepard, Columbia Falls

Water is more important than anything

I just received a voice message from Sen. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, informing me that the water-bottling bill he had introduced had been tabled. He seemed as amazed and dismayed as I am. SB215 would not have prevented water bottling plants in our state, but would have mandated a more thorough assessment of them, safeguarding our most precious resource.

Doesn’t everyone realize how important water is? This isn’t just a Flathead Valley issue. Great Falls has a water bottling plant that is, after only a few years in operation, poised to increase its acre feet of water use almost tenfold, with no laws in place to closely examine the impact. Unfortunately our county commissioners did not do their homework and assess the dangers to our community that Montana Artesian Water will introduce. I would like to encourage the DNRC to thoroughly measure the risks, and our state Legislature to bring SB 215 back for another review.

There was an advertisement for Montana Artesian Water in a recent Sunday paper that ridiculously equated the fact that drinking water is healthy for people with the fuzzy logic of a water-bottling plant being healthy for our valley. This proposed water-bottling plant is a vision of one fellow who seems to think that the water beneath his fertile Creston soil is his, and that our precious aquifer is free, limitless, and indestructible. The neighbors don’t agree; they see myriads of unknowns.

Of course Mr. Weaver can say he will mitigate the increased road dust, hazardous chemicals in the surface waters, and machinery noise. His process will discharge chemicals and heated effluent — how could he possibly repair the damage to water quality and affected riparian areas all the way to Flathead Lake? Is Mr. Weaver’s personal right to make money from our pristine water supply worth damaging our valley’s greatest resource? There are no precautionary laws to assess excessive use of what was and still is public water. SB 215 was/is an opportunity to do that.

We the people of this beautiful county, abundant state, privileged country and unique planet must value WATER most; more than oil, open space, education, or freedom, it is WATER! We here in Northwest Montana have more than our share of pure aqua, but truly, putting any more water into new plastic bottles is ludicrous. There are way too many plastic bottles in this world already, but that is one more good reason this plant should not be allowed to proceed in this day and age, anywhere. —Helen Pilling, Kila