{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases/zinke-introduces-fill-lake-act", "Zinke Introduces Fill the Lake Act", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MT", "Ryan K. Zinke", "Z000018", "zinke.house.gov", "zinke", "https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke introduced the Fill the Lake Act. The legislation would require the Department of Interior to maintain a minimum pool level on Flathead Lake of 2892\u2019 MSL (mean sea level) and a maximum of 2893\u2019 MSL from June 15th to September 15th of each calendar year. If enacted, the Fill the Lake Act would prevent a repeat of the 2023 season when regulators allowed the lake to drop almost two feet below full pool.\n\nDuring the spring 2023, the Flathead Lake ecosystem experienced a rapid runoff of snow melt. This was exacerbated by the slow-working bureaucracy of the unelected officials of the technical management team (TMT) that advises the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on the Columbia River System and the lack of a finalized and enforceable drought management plan. The result was water levels as much as 22 inches to 2 feet below full pool in areas. This created hazardous conditions for boaters, cut off maritime evacuation routes, and was a massive economic blow to the communities and businesses surrounding Flathead Lake that rely on the lake for the recreation economy, agriculture, and in some cases for evacuation from wildfires.\n\n\u201cThis is a made in Montana solution. Fill the lake is a one-page bill - and it should be - it\u2019s not a difficult concept,\u201d said Congressman Zinke. \u201cHungry Horse Reservoir exists for the management of water downstream, and that means Flathead Lake. Unfortunately, the delays and bureaucracy created by the Department of the Interior and the technical management team made a bad situation even worse. This bill takes out the ambiguity and forces the Department and its unelected bureaucrats to do their most basic job so that Montanans don\u2019t suffer from their mistakes again. I\u2019m grateful to the county commissioners, Senator Greg Hertz and the many engaged business owners and residents who kept me and my team informed every step of the way. This bill really is a community effort.\u201d\n\nState Senator Greg Hertz said, \u201cThe Congressman and his team have been involved in this issue from the first voice of concern and I couldn\u2019t be more thankful. He\u2019s been vital to ensuring our local economy doesn\u2019t suffer at the hand of poor management decisions at the federal level.\u201d\n\nFlathead County Commissioner Randy Brodehl said, \u201cThe Fill the Lake Act he\u2019s introduced addresses issues we faced this summer across the board with just one bill. Zinke understands what this means for our way of life in Montana and has fought for our state the whole way through.\u201d\n\nLake County Commissioner Gale Decker said, \u201cAt a local level, we rely on the lake for fundamental operations to keep our people safe. It\u2019s an access point for our water cannons during wildfire season and serves as an emergency evacuation route when locals need out. Our lake levels need to be consistent which is why I fully support Zinke\u2019s Fill the Lake Act.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nKPAX Woods Bay marinas, businesses discuss low Flathead Lake water levels (7/13/2023)\n\nKPAX Cabin owners forced to adjust to record low Flathead Lake levels (7/14/2023)\n\nKPAX Low Flathead Lake levels could impact farmers' bottom lines (7/13/2023)\n\nDaily Inter Lake Flathead Lake's low water level prompts disaster declaration request (7/30/2023)\n\nDaily Inter Lake Diminished Flathead Lake leaves some residents crying mismanagement (8/12/2023)\n\nFlathead Beacon Low Water Levels Threaten Crop Yields; Tester Latest Official to Seek Federal Intervention(7/7/2023)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "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/zinke-introduces-fill-lake-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7404980715364218, "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"}