HELENA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen joined her colleagues on the Montana Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) in voting to protect the Montana way of life and public education.
The Board voted unanimously to “require DNRC (the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) to obtain Land Board approval before a complaint, answer, or objection is filed after May 20, 2024, asserting a state ownership interest in a water right with a point of diversion on private land and a place of use on state trust land.”
The Board’s unanimous vote followed a presentation that stated a previous administration had improperly asserted state co-ownership of private water rights without allowing due process.
“Unlike the previous administration, which abused Montana’s agricultural community using the deep state, I was proud to stand with my fellow Land Board Commissioners to protect the Montana way of life and public education,” said Secretary Jacobsen.
Secretary Jacobsen and the Board also approved agenda items that would generate an estimated revenue of more than $1.6 million, including more than $1.4 million in timber sales. Nearly $1.2 million would be generated for Montana’s K-12 schools.