{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-zinke-supports-governor-gianfortes-request-drought-disaster", "Congressman Zinke Supports Governor Gianforte\u2019s Request for Drought Disaster Declaration in Western and North-Central Montana", "2023-07-25", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MT", "Ryan K. Zinke", "Z000018", "zinke.house.gov", "zinke", "https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke released the following statement of support following Governor Gianforte\u2019s request to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify areas in Western and North-Central Montana impacted by severe drought conditions as natural disaster areas. Due to abnormally low snowpack combined with dry conditions and little rainfall, Western Montana\u2019s livestock, crop, and eco-tourism industries are experiencing added strain.\n\n\u201cThe crisis around Flathead Lake is a natural disaster made exponentially worse by the manmade disaster of poor leadership at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,\u201d Zinke said. \u201cGovernor Gianforte, Senator Daines and I have been pressing federal bureaucrats for over a month to address the crisis at Flathead Lake. Had Reclamation exercised their authority to make an emergency release of water in June, we would not be at the situation we are at now with lake levels dropping so low that ag intakes are inoperable.\u201d\n\nZinke continued, \u201cWestern Montana beyond the Flathead Lake community, Toole and Sheridan Counties require immediate relief and are at the mercy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to recognize and designate a drought disaster area. I fully support the Governor\u2019s formal request for an emergency declaration so Montana producers and growers can begin to receive assistance.\u201d\n\nRep. Zinke has emphasized the need of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to reject the Technical Management Team\u2019s recommendation (TMT) and exercise their authority to release water from the Hungry Horse Dam to mitigate dropping pool levels at Flathead Lake.\n\nBackground:\n\nJune 29:Zinke, Daines Urged the Bureau of Reclamation to Increase Flow form Hungry Horse, Prevent Catastrophic Impacts on Flathead Lake.\n\nJune 29: Zinke had phone conversations with USBR Commissioner Touton.\n\nJune 30 Zinke had phone conversations with USBR Boise Regional Director Jennifer Carrington.\n\nJuly 1:Flathead county commissioners sent a letter to USBR to stabilize the lake.\n\nJuly 6:Governor Gianforte pressed USBR to stabilize the lake.\n\nJuly 8: Zinke continues to push \u2018Fill the Lake\u2019 during visit to Flathead County.\n\nJuly13:Governor Gianforte formally submitted an SOR to the TMT to stabilize the lake.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-zinke-supports-governor-gianfortes-request-drought-disaster"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.939258934929967, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}