Montana
Montana Land Board decides to take stronger role in water decisions • Daily Montanan
The Montana Land Board decided to take back the authority it ceded decades ago at its May meeting, but the decision to do that, along with a recent Supreme Court ruling, has cast an uneasy tension between state leaders and the agricultural community.
As temperatures continue to rise and the threat of fire grows, ranchers and farmers continue to be concerned about their land and access to water. In Montana, water rights are notoriously complex and litigious, with some disputed claims still outliving the residents who originally brought them.
At issue is how the State of Montana claims water rights when dealing with state-owned leased lands. Like many western states, large tracts of land are held in trust by the state and money made from leasing the land goes into a fund to support public education.
However, a recent court case and the management of water rights by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the state agency in charge of the trust lands, has sparked renewed concerns that the state may try to take water rights away from property owners.
The case, Schutter vs. State Land Board, was decided in May and the state’s highest court ruled that if a resident filed a water claim, even if the source of the water was on private land, that if it has been used in part to water state land then the state owns part of that water right. That has led to an uproar from the agricultural community, which is worried that simply transferring water from private land to leased state land will create an opportunity for the state to take water rights.
From that decision and recent contentious land board meetings, the Montana Land Board, comprised of the five “constitutional” officers (the governor, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and superintendent of public education), has revisited its policy of delegating legal challenges to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
Because of the uproar and concern from the Schutter case, the land board decided to reverse a decades-long policy of delegating water rights decisions to agency officials, and will now require any potential future water cases go to the board for permission to proceed. In other words, the DNRC will no longer be able to litigate or challenge cases without first getting the approval of the land board, a change brought by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who had previously vowed to update the policy to bring more oversight to the elected leaders and less authority to the agency.
The proposal was supported unanimously. All members of the state’s Land Board are Republican.
Though the policy promised more oversight, farmers, ranchers, attorneys and those in agriculture seemed uncertain whether the move would help with disputes.
Many members of the agriculture community testified that they were still worried about the uncertainty they saw in the application of Montana law. Many expressed concern that during dry years if they used water they owned on state land to help, the state may try to claim a portion of it.
“We have to be assured that if we use our water on state land,” said Sen. Butch Gillespie, who gave public comment as both a rancher and Republican state senator.
Carl DeVries, a rancher from Roberts and a member of the Senior Agricultural Water Rights Alliance agreed.
“We need assurances if it is a temporary situation,” DeVries said.
For months, farmers and ranchers have said that without more protections or assurances that they would be hesitant to lease land for fear of losing water rights.
Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras worked with the DNRC to present to the Land Board an overview about how the state department works with residents who bid on and win the state leases. Juras is not only the lieutenant governor, but comes from an agricultural background and is an attorney. She pointed out that paperwork can be filed with the state to protect temporary water usage on state land.
Betsy Story, a water law attorney from Helena, said that she was still concerned about the gray areas of the law, including when the state claims part of a water right that originates completely on private land. What happens, she asked, if another person in the future wins the lease for state land? She said a situation like that raises plenty of thorny legal issues.
Knudsen said he hoped returning legal oversight to the land board will help mitigate some of the conflict.
“This means that if the DNRC wants to make a legal claim, it must get explicit approval from us,” Knudsen said. “This should be as much as it can be in the public.”
BOZEMAN — Aaron Flint and Al Olszewski, Republican candidates for Montana’s Western District U.S. House race, squared off Tuesday in their party’s only scheduled debate before the party primary.
The two debated for about 90 minutes at Bozeman’s Calvary Chapel before an audience of about 120 people. Bozeman anchors Gallatin County, which is second in Republican votes only to Flathead County within the 18-county district.
Natural resource jobs, affordable housing and U.S. military attacks on Iran dominated the discussion. Each question drew 12 minutes of response. Both men called for an end to stock trading by members of Congress, and for federal budgets to be passed on time through regular procedures.
The Montana GOP sponsored the debate. Candidate Christi Jacobsen, Montana’s secretary of state, was unable to attend, according to state Republican Party Chair Art Wittich. State Senate President Matt Regier moderated.
Among the highlights: Flint mentioned no fewer than eight times that he is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Olszewski mentioned Trump by name only a couple of times.
Never too far from Flint’s talking points were “far-left socialists,” whom he credited for “gerrymandering” the Western House District (which has delivered comfortable wins for Republicans since first appearing on the ballot in 2022). The 2026 election cycle was the target of Democrats on the state’s districting commission, Flint said. (Both Democrats on the commission that drew the district in 2021 voted against its current configuration.)
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The near faux pas of the night came during Olszewski’s discussion of good-paying jobs in trades and natural resources: “Trades jobs, natural resource jobs, you know, high-dollar, white-collar jobs, our remote workers who have moved into Montana, and we’ve adapted an economy around them. You know, these are the people, and those are the jobs that will bring our kids home, those high-paying white-collar jobs, or a good natural resource job in western Montana, in one of those mines, or, you know, you know, a sawyer or a hooker” — big pause — “as in timber, not the other way around.”
The line that didn’t land: Flint tried and failed to get audience applause for the 2024 defeat of Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester by Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy — an unseating Flint campaigned for.
“How many of you out there are so glad that we finally got rid of the flip-flop, flat-top liberal senator, Jon Tester? How many of you are so glad we finally did that?”
After a silence, Flint explained to people watching the debate on Facebook that the audience was just being polite.
“They’re waving because we can’t have disruptions. See, they’re good rule followers here in the Republican Party,” Flint said.
Asked how to alleviate Montana’s housing affordability crisis:
Olszewski: “The only way you can afford an expensive house is you’ve got to have a job that pays good money. Tourist jobs provide rent and roommates. Trades jobs, natural resource jobs, high‑dollar white‑collar jobs … those are the jobs that will bring our kids home.” Dr. Al, as Olszewski is widely known, said Wall Street investment buyers are distorting housing prices and the federal government has weakened the dollar.
Flint: “Thirty percent of the cost of a home is all due to red tape and regulations … It costs $100,000 to build a home before you even put a hole in the ground.”
Flint said reviving Montana’s timber industry would lower home values and added, “I support President Trump’s ban on these big Wall Street firms buying single-family homes. I think that’s something that we’ve got to get across the finish line.”
“We can deliver when it comes to making the Montana dream affordable again by delivering affordable housing. But another piece is promoting trades and trades education to build up our workforce.”
Asked how Congress should respond to the Iran conflict:
Olszewski: “I supported our president with what happened in Venezuela. There’s a $25 million bounty on basically someone that was killing our people through drugs, right? I’m not so happy with what’s going on in the Iran war. I’m not a warrior. I’m a physician from the military that fixed military people … What my perspective is, is that countries can win wars, but people do not. They don’t come back.” Olszewski said Congress will have to decide whether to authorize further use of military force and set terms in about 10 days.
Flint: “Let me just say this. We are sick and tired of these forever wars, and we do not want to see a long-term boots-on-the-ground Iraq-style nation-building exercise, and I think President Trump shares that mission as well. Let me also say this about Iran. First off, [former Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro is behind bars. [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei is dead, but the far-left socialists are on the march in Montana.”
Asked about reforming Congress:
Olszewski: “What our congressmen and congresswomen have to understand is that if you’re in the House, the House belongs to the people, and they need to, first and foremost, represent you, not themselves, not special interests. It’s not about sound-bites. It’s about actually getting work done and governing.” Olszewski said the House needs to pass a budget based on 12 agency appropriations bills before the end of each federal fiscal year, a process known as “regular order.”
Flint: “We need to return to regular order and get single-subject bills and get these appropriations bills done one by one. If they can’t get a budget done, they shouldn’t get paid. And we need a ban on congressional stock trading. Because I think part of the reason why the American people are so frustrated with Congress right now is because … they believe that Congress is so useless, because we’ve got some of these politicians back there that are getting rich off the backs of taxpayers.”
Neither candidate offered a plan for cutting taxes, once a staple of Republican platforms. Both supported reductions in federal spending without identifying particular cuts.
Voting in Montana’s 2026 primary election begins May 4 and ends June 2.
POLSON, Mont. — Two motorcyclists crashed on Highway 35 near Polson after failing to negotiate a left-hand curve, leaving one man dead and another hospitalized, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Two motorcycles were traveling southbound on Highway 35 when both drifted into a guardrail. Both drivers were separated from their motorcycles and ended up on the other side of the guardrail.
A 58-year-old Polson man was confirmed dead at the scene. The second driver, a 45-year-old man, also from Polson, was taken to the hospital with injuries.
Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The crash is under investigation.
KALISPELL — A Flathead County man is turning a personal rock bottom into a lifeline for his community by starting a free, late-night ride service to keep drunk drivers off the roads.
Adam Bruzza started Big Sky Sobriety Shuttle LLC, a free ride share service for people who have been drinking, after realizing he was struggling with addiction.
Maddie Keifer reports – watch the video here:
MT man starts free, late-night ride service to keep drunk drivers off the roads
“I just wanted to give people who do still drink the option for a safe, sober ride home,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza said a devastating mistake behind the wheel became a turning point where he decided enough was enough.
“I was charged with a DUI October 22 of 2024,” Bruzza said.
After a few months focused on his sobriety, Bruzza channeled his energy into his community by starting the shuttle service.
He operates the shuttle in his personal pickup truck. Riders can reach him by phone, text or social media at any time of day or night at no cost.
“I just wanted to give others the opportunity to not get a life changing charge,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza works with bars to connect riders with his service. Although the Big Sky Sobriety Shuttle is a new endeavor, he has already seen a big impact.
“The community response without a doubt has been unconditional love and support that makes my heart all warm and fuzzy,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza also shared a message for others who may be struggling with addiction.
“Your life is worth it, there are people that care out there and it is okay to ask for help,” Bruzza said.
To learn more, click here to visit the Facebook page.
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