Mike Murphy of the Montana Water Resources Association on Working With Congress

Mike Murphy of the Montana Water Resources Association on Working With Congress

Mike Murphy has decades of experience in agriculture and has been the executive director of the Montana Water Resources Association (MWRA) for 27 years. The MWRA advocates for Montana’s irrigated agriculture on both the state and the federal levels. In this interview, Mr. Murphy tells Irrigation Leader about his views on the recent law that guaranteed continued access to affordable project use power (PUP) from the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program on the part of the Sidney Water Users Irrigation District (SWUID) and the Kinsey Irrigation Company (KIC). Mr. Murphy also tells us about the MWRA’s outlook on the year ahead.

Irrigation Leader: What are your thoughts on the resolution of the situation of the SWUID and the KIC?

Mike Murphy: The passage of the legislation in October 2020 was great news. It was certainly critical for the KIC and the SWUID, as it will enable them to remain economically viable. That’s hugely important for the economy of the southeastern part of the state, the local communities, and the farm and ranch families who would have been affected. The new law is consistent with the intent of the Pick-Sloan legislation that Congress passed in 1944. It addresses some of the obligations promised under the Pick-Sloan legislation, which included developing irrigated acreage into production to offset the loss of the land that was inundated under reservoir-development efforts.

Irrigation Leader: Was the MWRA involved in the process?

Mike Murphy: The MWRA provided input and assistance by contacting our congressional delegation, members of congressional committees, and staff members to express our support for this critically important legislation and to encourage its passage.

Irrigation Leader: Does this legislation provide a model for the resolution of future Montana water resources issues?

Mike Murphy: This is a fairly distinctive issue, since it relates directly to the Pick-Sloan program. I like to think that it indicates support for irrigated agriculture and recognizes the importance of the commitments that were made under the Pick-Sloan program. Certainly, it would be great to see some additional Pick-Sloan involvement in irrigation projects in Montana, particularly as a means to encourage new irrigation project development. That would be consistent with the original congressional intent.

Irrigation Leader: What is the current status of the Montana Water Rights Protection Act?

Mike Murphy: Congress recently passed Senate Bill 3019, the Montana Water Rights Protection Act, as part of the overall COVID‐19 relief and omnibus legislation. The passage of the Montana Water Rights Protection Act is crucial for the overall adjudication of Montana water rights. The reserved water right compact that Montana negotiated with the Confederated Salish- Kootenai Tribes and the congressional authorization contained in S. 3019 resolve Montana’s tribal water right issues. The resolution of these water rights provides certainty regarding Montana water rights adjudication, prevents a decade or more of costly litigation, and protects water rights throughout Montana. With the COVID‐19 pandemic and everything else, 2020 was certainly a tough year, but with a concerted effort by many and the support of all the members of our congressional delegation, that legislation was passed.

Irrigation Leader: What are the other top issues that the MWRA is working on right now?

Mike Murphy: A primary one, which we’ve already touched on, is infrastructure. We not only need to focus on securing financing for needed repairs to existing infrastructure, but we need to finance infrastructure that is associated with new development. Resolution of the extensive infrastructure issues on the Milk River is crucial. We have also talked previously about the importance of the project on the lower Yellowstone River that involves building a fish bypass for the pallid sturgeon and establishing a new diversion structure that will provide irrigation water for future generations of farmers and ranchers within the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project. These are some of the bigger projects that we’ve been involved with and have supported.

The MWRA’s ongoing efforts will continue to include involvement in the legislative, administrative, and policydevelopment issues affecting water and other private property rights. Some of these issues include states’ rights vs. federal overreach, the protection of the prior appropriation doctrine, infrastructure, the Endangered Species Act, water rights adjudication, and various legal challenges that affect Montana water users.

Mike Murphy is the executive director of the Montana Water Resources Association. He can be contacted at mwra_h2o@msn.com or (406) 235‐4555.