HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14
INTRODUCED BY A. CURTISS, TASH, BECK, DEPRATU, DOHERTY, GALLUS, MCCARTHY, MCGEE
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING A STATE ROLE IN MANAGING THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN; AND CALLING FOR A PUBLIC FORUM TO DEVELOP A CONSENSUS-BASED APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT.
WHEREAS, the Legislative Council on River Governance has been established to assert the legitimate authority that the state legislatures of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington have with respect to the governance of the hydroelectric system and appurtenant natural resources of the Columbia River Basin; and
WHEREAS, the legislatures of the four Pacific Northwest states acknowledge that they can achieve common goals and objectives more effectively by working in concert than separately; and
WHEREAS, these legislative bodies recognize the practical necessity that they work cooperatively with Governors and other state Executive Branch agencies to form an effective alliance for the protection and advancement of regional interests; and
WHEREAS, cost-based electricity and preference for Northwest customers are crucial to the economic sustainability of the region, and any attempt to remove these benefits is inimical to the future prospects for economic development and diversification in each of the Pacific Northwest states; and
WHEREAS, the continued dominance of federal agencies in the governance of the Columbia River and its associated infrastructure will impose unnecessarily costly and complicated burdens on the inhabitants of the region; and
WHEREAS, the four Pacific Northwest states have demonstrated in the past and continue to manifest the competence and capacity to exercise joint responsibility for the management of complex relationships in the Columbia River Basin; and
WHEREAS, the residents and consumers of the region continue to pay the costs of the electric power system on the Columbia River, including the debt to the U.S. Treasury, and are therefore entitled to the economic and environmental benefits resulting from best management practices in the basin.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
That the Legislative Council on River Governance make a concerted effort to preserve cost-based electricity rates and regional preference for the residents and businesses of the Pacific Northwest.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a public forum be established to develop a consensus-based approach to the above-stated goals that includes the active participation of state legislatures in the management of natural resources in the Columbia River Basin.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the public forum include representation from the Legislative Council on River Governance, the Governors and members of the Northwest Power Planning Council from each of the four states in the region, the respective state delegations in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, Indian tribes, and other governmental organizations with a stake in the Federal Columbia River Power System.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State send copies of this resolution to the Montana Congressional Delegation, to tribal governments in Montana, and to the publisher of each newspaper in the state.
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