Article published Nov 2, 2007

Bush vetoes bill with Montana water projects

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON - Montana Rep. Dennis Rehberg blasted President Bush for vetoing a $23 billion water projects bill Friday that contained millions of dollars in projects for Montana.

Rehberg, a Republican, vowed to vote to override the veto.

The legislation was approved by veto-proof margins in both the House and Senate, setting the stage for the first override of a Bush veto. The House is expected to vote to override the bill Tuesday and the Senate could act Wednesday. 

“The president’s veto is shortsighted,” Rehberg said in a statement. “The (Water Resources Development Act) authorizes funding for many projects critical to Montana’s natural resources. Good, clean water improves the quality of life for Montana families and spurs economic development in local communities.” 

The legislation sets spending limits for specific U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects for shipping, flood control and environmental restoration projects, as well as local drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. Money for the projects, which isn’t a sure thing, would be part of appropriations bills to be considered next year. 

Bush said the bill “lacks fiscal discipline.” 

“This is not fiscally responsible, particularly when local communities have been waiting for funding for projects already in the pipeline,” Bush said Friday. “The bill’s excessive authorization for over 900 projects and programs exacerbates the mas-sive backlog of ongoing Corps construction projects, which will require an additional $38 billion in future appropriations to complete.” 

Among the projects the bill would authorize for Montana are: 
- Environmental studies and planning, costing $153 million, for reconstructing the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works, in consultation with the Fort Belknap and Blackfeet tribes. 
- Planning and construction of a fish passage at Intake Diversion Dam on the Yellowstone River, opening up 238 miles of critical habitat for the pallid sturgeon in the Upper Missouri River Basin. 
- Ecosystem restoration projects, costing $35 million, along the Yellowstone River and the Clark Fork River near Missoula. 
- The creation of the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee to assist the Interior Secretary conduct studies to determine what needs to be done to restore the environment along the Missouri River and its tributaries.