Tester statement on Montana water Supreme Court case

(BILLINGS, Mont.) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement in response to the Montana-Wyoming water rights case being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court by Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock:

“In rural America, when you talk about access to water, you’re talking about jobs.  You’re talking about the foundation of agriculture—Montana’s number one industry—and you’re talking about the ability of rural and frontier communities to continue to thrive for our kids and grandkids.

“Water is precious and has to be shared using common sense.  We expect our neighbors to be good stewards of the rivers and streams that flow our way, just as Montanans are.  I thank Attorney General Bullock for his hard work, and I plan to keep a close eye on this case as it moves forward.”

The lawsuit accuses the state of Wyoming of violating a 1950 water compact by taking too much water from the Tongue and Powder rivers, which both flow from Wyoming into Montana.