Montana Title 76. Land Resources and Use § 76-13-701. Findings and policy

(a) there is overwhelming evidence that the management, protection, and conservation of watersheds in Montana is critical to the well-being of the state;

(b) the water supplies of some of the state's most populous cities and surrounding areas originate in federally managed watersheds that are at risk for catastrophic wildfire, the severity of which could be reduced by proper management;

(c) a catastrophic wildfire in any one of those municipal watersheds would result in ash and sediment inundating and degrading the water supply, leaving tens of thousands of residents without drinking water, creating a severe public safety situation, and decimating millions of dollars worth of water infrastructure;

(d) a burned-out watershed also affects the timing of snow melt and stream flow, which detrimentally affects irrigation and fisheries; and

(e) federal land managers are not giving due consideration to the constitutionally protected water rights of the state and its citizens, the exercise of which would be impaired by a catastrophic wildfire.