Max Baucus: “I rise today with Senator Merkley, Senator Tester, Senator Crapo, and others to introduce the Columbia River Basin…”

“I rise today with Senator Merkley, Senator Tester, Senator Crapo, and others to introduce the Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010. The bill authorizes much needed funds to implement toxics reduction projects throughout the basin, and it authorizes next steps in our longstanding effort to protect and preserve the transboundary Flathead Basin. The Columbia River Basin is one of the great water basins along our border with Canada that binds our two nations together. The river spans about 1,200 miles and travels through 14 dams from Columbia Lake, British Columbia all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Several of the major subasins of the Columbia are located in Montana, including the Kootenai, the Flathead, the Clark Fork, the Blackfoot, and the Bitterroot. Toxics contamination is a problem in several of these subasins, and I am very pleased to be a cosponsor of the Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010, which will authorize much needed resources to address toxics contamination. The Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010 also includes the Transboundary Flathead Basin Protection Act of 2010.”