Protect Our Waterways

At risk: Flathead Lake, Yellowstone River and more

Right now, more than half of Montana’s streams and hundreds of acres of wetlands are vulnerable to pollution and development. Polluters can dump garbage into streams, developers can pave over wetlands to build strip malls, and the cops on the environmental beat can’t do a thing about it. And it’s not just small streams and wetlands that will suffer — these waterways are the same ones that feed Flathead Lake, the Yellowstone River, and all our beloved waters, and help to keep them clean.

Polluters poke holes in Clean Water Act

For nearly 40 years, the Clean Water Act has helped Montana — and states across the nation — care for and clean up our waterways. Thanks in large part to this groundbreaking law, rivers are no longer so polluted that they catch fire, as Ohio’s Cuyahoga infamously did in 1969. Still, much work remains to be done. Environment America's report, “Wasting our Waterways,” found that polluters dumped more than 170,000 pounds of toxic chemicals into Montana’s rivers in a single year. We need to do more to protect our waters — not less. 

Unfortunately, over the past decade, polluters and irresponsible developers have used the courts to put Clean Water Act protections in legal limbo, arguing that the law doesn’t cover the smaller streams and wetlands that feed and clean Flathead Lake, the Yellowstone River, and all of Montana’s waters. They want to throw out nearly 40 years of Clean Water Act protection, leaving polluting industries free to dump into our streams and pave over our wetlands without asking for permission.

The EPA can protect our waters — but Congress threatens to stand in the way

Since 2006, we have been urging Congress to protect our waters by simply declaring that the Clean Water Act applies to all of Montana’s — and America’s — waters. But, stymied at every turn by industry lobbyists and powerful special interests, we turned instead to the EPA for action. 

This spring, we and our allies across the country submitted more than 170,000 petitions to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, urging her to restore protections to all of our waters and cut sewage pollution. In April, she announced a plan to do just that. 

At the same time, powerful corporate interests are preparing for battle: ExxonMobil threatened “legal warfare” if the EPA moves forward with its plan to restore Clean Water Act protections. 

Our plan to defend Montana’s waterways

We refuse to let polluters and their allies in Congress open our precious waterways to more dumping and development. We’re bringing together Montanans from all walks of life to protect Flathead Lake, the Yellowstone River, and all of our waterways. From anglers to white-water enthusiasts, clergy to scientists, local officials to ordinary families, we all have a stake in keeping our water clean. 

If we’re going to push past ExxonMobil and other powerful polluters, we’re going to need everyone who cares about Montana’s waterways to get involved. Join our campaign by sending the EPA a message today.