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Introduced on September 2, 2025 by Ryan Zinke
This bill would protect parts of several rivers in Montana’s Greater Yellowstone area by adding them to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It covers about 42 miles of the Madison River, 39.5 miles of the Gallatin River, and parts of Hyalite Creek, Cabin Creek, and the Middle Fork of Cabin Creek, to help keep these waters clean, healthy, and open for fishing, boating, hiking, and wildlife watching. The goal is to preserve their natural beauty and recreation value while keeping public access, respecting private property, allowing road and bridge upkeep, and enabling emergency responses and long‑standing local uses to continue.
The government cannot buy land inside these protected river sections unless the owner agrees. Existing water rights stay the same, including Tribal and interstate compacts, Montana water rights, and U.S. rights. The Hebgen and Madison Dams are outside the protected stretches and can keep operating under their current permits; the bill does not block federal licensing or relicensing, and it does not block adding hydropower at Hebgen, but the dams cannot expand into the protected river areas.
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