Interest high in proposed changes to benefit Lincoln Co., state

Lincoln County residents nearly filled the conference room at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell — joined by other parties from around the Columbia River Basin and a retinue of Montana legislators — for a town hall meeting to talk about changes to the 1961 Columbia River Treaty that would benefit Lincoln County and Montana.

Both Lincoln County residents and legislators were there following efforts by state Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, to make sure the concerns of Lincoln County and Montana were heard.

Cuffe sponsored a resolution that passed both the state Senate and House that calls on federal officials to negotiate some sort of compensation for Lincoln County.

Sen. Doug Kary, R-Billings, read a letter from Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, who could not attend the meeting.

“As you work to modernize this agreement, I urge you to amend the treaty to compensate the state of Montana for lost tax revenue due to the construction of Libby Dam,” Sales’ letter stated. “Lincoln County has lost millions of dollars in lost property taxes and lost revenues due to the many thousands of acres of county land that are now under Lake Koocanusa.”

Noting that Canada receives compensation for the dams they built that allow for flood control and power production, Sales said the goal is to make the treaty equal.

Lincoln County Commissioners Jerry Bennett and Josh Letcher also weighed in.

Bennett applauded the openness of the process.

As a Eureka resident, Letcher spoke to not only past sacrifices, but also the issues the dam creates for current residents.

“My family has lived near the Kootenai River for seven generations. The building of the Libby Dam and filling of Lake Koocanusa flooded my family’s lands, both in the United States and Canada,” he said.

Letcher said some promises never came to fruition, such as boat ramps and accesses to foster a tourism economy and low electric rates.

“Our tourism is lacking, and our electricity rates are even with other areas of the country,” Letcher said.

With around 78 percent of the land in Lincoln County under federal management, the 34,000 acres lost under Lake Koocanusa was more than lost property tax revenues, he said. Timber and wildlife habitat was lost forever as well.

Letcher pointed to current hardships such as the dust storms Eureka residents deal with in the late winter and early spring when the water is drawn down for flood control. He pointed out flood control that is provided to downstream communities “but our communities are still under water.”

Flathead County Commissioner Randy Brodehl, spoke on behalf of the Flathead County Commission in support of Cuffe’s proposed changes to the treaty. He noted that the legislators who had come to support the changes to the treaty had driven around 200 miles to do so, and would be driving back again that night.

“Please understand that Flathead County stands with our neighbors in Lincoln County, and the Montana State Legislature, requesting that this treaty be amended to address the loss of agricultural land and jobs in Lincoln County, and revenue in our counties and our state,” Brodehl said. “We ask that Montana be put on an even playing field with our good neighbors — the Canadians — to the north.”

By the time Cuffe spoke at the end of the meeting, he did not revisit the changes to the treaty he has spent nearly a decade fighting for, and which were reiterated by Lincoln County residents, legislators and several voices from Flathead County as well.

British Columbia currently receives half of the revenue from electric generation due to the dams there; Canada gets roughly $200 million to $300 million annually under terms of the treaty.

Cuffe has also advocated for Lincoln County to get a share of the power generation revenue Libby Dam helps to create.

In 2015, Cuffe, then a state representative, carried a bill in the Montana Legislature anticipating a day when Montana would receive a share of the profits Libby Dam helps to create.

Since Libby Dam accounts for 20 percent of the power generation through the water it controls and releases at a predictable rate, Cuffe said he has sought for Montana to receive 20 percent of what Canada does.

Cuffe noted that 20 percent — which could net Lincoln County between $40 million and $60 million annually — is a starting point to negotiate, and a final figure could be less.

Under the legislation Cuffe carried in 2015, 80 percent of any share coming to Montana from the electric profits would go to Lincoln County for schools, roads and general operations. The state would deposit the other 20 percent into the general fund.

Cuffe said the permitted county uses are meant to mirror the historical uses for timber sale revenues. The 2015 law also calls for a trust fund to be set up from the money that goes to the county, which would accumulate interest to be spent on things such as infrastructure and environmental cleanup.

“You don’t know how much this means,” Cuffe said about treaty meeting. “We have felt disrespected, left out of the process, ignored.”

But Cuffe was pleased with the attendance and level of interest in potential changes to the Columbia River Treaty.

“I dreamed of something like this, but I honestly didn’t know if it would ever happen,” Cuffe said. “I honestly did not know if they would ever come to Montana, and, as I said, give us the respect of listening to us.”