Montana. The center of the earth for fly fishing. And somewhere west of the center of Montana is Helena, home to Montana Fishing Outfitters and my friend Garrett Munson. Garrett is one of those people that you want on your team. He’ll never quit, and he’ll never let you down. He’s the original go-to guy. And this go-to guy is going all out in his opposition to the changes proposed to the Clean Water Act and the Waters of the U.S. Rule.
Garrett sees the proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in personal terms.
“I am firmly opposed to the changes being proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers,” he said. “The proposed changes to the Clean Water Act will endanger my family and my business because they fail to adequately protect streams and wetlands in Montana. They would eliminate basic protections for millions of miles of rivers and streams under the Clean Water Act, especially the protections for small headwater streams that are so important in my area. We must protect downstream lands and waters.”
Montana is a headwaters state, and that makes this issue especially important in the Treasure State. Munson is concerned about impacts on his home waters.
“People come to Montana to visit or to live because of the quality of life we enjoy here. Part of that quality of life is about clean water — the rivers and streams that flow through our communities. These rivers and streams are fed by smaller streams and wetlands in the headwaters of Montana,” he said. “We all live downstream from these headwaters. If the headwaters streams and wetlands are compromised, then waters downstream will inevitably be compromised.”
As anglers, we know that the Clean Water Act and the Waters of the US Rule have been tremendously successful in keeping our water clean. Please join Garrett in opposition to this ill-conceived proposal. You can provide comments at http://standup.tu.org/stand-up-for-clean-water/. The deadline for comments is April 15.