Committee hears $100 million proposal to create Montana Water Development special revenue account

Representative Sean Walsh opened testimony on House Bill 256, a proposal to create a Montana Water Development special revenue account seeded with a $100,000,000 appropriation so the state can invest a permanent stream of interest earnings in water storage and related needs. "It is now time to stop discussing and start investing in this critical infrastructure," Walsh said in his opening remarks.

Why it matters: Proponents told the House Natural Resources Committee that Montana's existing state-owned storage — 22 dams, roughly 250 miles of irrigation canals and one hydroelectric facility — is aging and that steady, long-term funding is needed for maintenance, rehabilitation and pilot projects that increase storage capacity. The bill would deposit $100 million into a special revenue account; 90% of the annual interest would go to maintenance and rehabilitation of state-owned storage projects, and 10% would fund grants through DNRC's Conservation and Resource Development (CARD) program and cost-share…