Montanans Have Mixed Reactions To Repeal Of Stream Protection Rule

Montana Public Radio | By Edward O'Brien

Published February 17, 2017 at 3:57 PM MST

Gov. Bullock was in Butte today pushing what he calls the "Build Montana Trust." The idea is to put some of the revenue collected from the state tax on coal sales into a special fund that would then spin off interest for future projects, too.

President Donald Trump Thursday ended a key Obama-era coal mining regulation. Montanans' reaction to the repeal of the Stream Protection Rule covered the gamut from elation to frustration.

Steve Charter is a third-generation cattle rancher north of Billings and is firmly in the "frustrated" camp:

"We think water protection and the value of our streams in extremely important and we were really hoping that this stream protection act – which a lot of thought was put into – I think it was a necessary addition to the protections that we have now."

The Stream Protection Rule was designed to protect waterways from coal mining waste; a goal that was entirely unnecessary according to Shelby DeMars of the pro-coal group Count on Coal Montana:

"Montana has, bar none, some of the best stream protection, clean air and clean water regulations in place already. That federal rule would have been duplicative and would have hurt coal production in the state of Montana for really, no additional gain."

Montana’s Republican Senator, Steve Daines, voted to overturn the Stream Protection Rule. Democratic Senator Jon Tester supported it.