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Public commenters urge county action on river selenium standards and praise road work
Summary
During public comment, Mike Brunie urged commissioners to oppose higher site-specific selenium standards for a local river and submit comments to DEQ; other residents praised recent road repairs and warned of dead trees and a narrow bridge that may pose evacuation hazards.
At the Lincoln County public comment period, several residents raised environmental and infrastructure concerns.
Mike Brunie identified himself and said he represents "Fuchi Valley Tribe Club or Montana Lana TU"; he urged commissioners not to support raising site-specific selenium levels in the river, citing studies on invertebrates and fish declines and warning of long-term ecological harm. Brunie said Fish, Wildlife & Parks are already opposing the county’s approach and urged members of the public to submit comments to the Department of Environmental Quality during the August comment period. "Don't leave a legacy of supporting increasing selenium content in the river," Brunie said, and encouraged residents to send comments to DEQ.
Commissioners responded that the press coverage may have mischaracterized the county’s position and that the board intends to separate local concerns from the Troy meeting discussion; they invited Brunie to meet with county officials offline.
Another resident praised county crews for work on Coupe River Road between Pike Creek Bridge and Boseman, saying neighbors were pleased with pothole repair and paving. That commenter also raised safety concerns on Kney River Road, reporting more than 40 standing dead pine trees along the river side and urging the county to coordinate with the state highway department about tree removal and a narrow bridge at Bobtail that constricts the primary evacuation route.
Commissioners said they would contact state highway staff (a state employee named Jesse Gascon was mentioned) and pursue available grant programs to address the bridge and safety concerns.
What happens next: commissioners said they will discuss the selenium comment process and will take the road safety concerns to the state highway department. The DEQ public-comment deadline was referenced during remarks; the county encouraged residents to submit comments to DEQ.
