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Montana Legislature fails to protect taxpayers, clean water
Montana’s landscape tells its story. From our treasured state and national parks to old mining camps, Montana has a rich and diverse history. For decades, miners and loggers put their blood, sweat and tears into their work to put food on the table, while powering a nation and building a future for their children.
And while we continue to see the benefits of natural resource development, our state has also seen some downsides. We need look no further than Zortman-Landusky, Beal Mountain, Montana Tunnels or the Berkeley pit to see that mining jobs can come at a cost, not just to local economies that once depended on good jobs, but to taxpayers who are still on the hook for cleaning up the mess left behind. According to a recent article in the Missoulian, the Montana Tunnels open pit mine owes $5 million in back taxes to Jefferson County and is also in danger of collapsing, which would destroy a nearby creek. That’s got to change. We have a duty as citizens – and an obligation as legislators – to continue to develop our natural resources as safely and cleanly as possible and with the least impact on jobs as possible.
REP. NATE MCCONNELL
