Latest news with #Seckinger
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor vetoes ‘river census' bill, sponsor pushes for override
A Montanan cools off in a shallow stretch of the Clearwater River. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan) Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a 'river census' bill, arguing the work to collect data can be done in a 'more cost effective manner,' but the sponsor said a special revenue account has the money, and Montana needs clarity about river use. House Bill 762 would require Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to produce a report of all watercraft, from rafts to inflatable flamingoes, along 966 miles of 16 rivers in the state. Rep. Joshua Seckinger, a river guide, said the legislation is necessary because rivers are busy, and attempts have been made to regulate them, but with only anecdotal evidence, not hard data. In his veto letter, however, Gianforte argued the cost of the river census was much too high, and the project too large, although he said the bill is 'well intended.' 'House Bill 762 drains $2.6 million from the state parks account, which would otherwise be used to address important infrastructure projects at our state parks, including maintenance backlogs,' Gianforte said in his veto letter. The bill had bipartisan sponsorship. It earned 102 approvals altogether in its final votes in both chambers — 29 in the Senate and 73 in the House. Support from two thirds of the Montana Legislature triggers an automatic veto override poll from the Secretary of State. Friday, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office could not be reached via email about the status of polling. Friday, the bill wasn't among the list of those currently being polled. However, in a letter to his colleagues, Seckinger, D-Bozeman, said he hopes they consider overriding the veto. He said he respectfully disagrees with the governor's assessment the bill 'took too big a bite at the apple.' 'First, there is no additional cost to taxpayers,' Seckinger wrote. 'The bill would have been funded entirely from a special revenue account within FWP, which is supported by vehicle registration fees, the cannabis excise tax, and state park registrations. 'Even with HB 762, this fund would have had a $6 million ending balance. Without the bill, the fund's balance will now grow to $8.6 million — unused, and continuing to expand.' In a phone call with the Daily Montanan, Seckinger said he agreed the cost 'was not insignificant.' But if fiscal conservatism is the goal, he said, he would advocate for lowering license plate fees, cannabis taxes, and the other sources of funds for the account. In his letter, Seckinger also said the bill would have provided a 'comprehensive understanding of river use,' and objective, baseline data is needed — 'and we need it soon.' (A separate study out of Montana State University will review popular river stretches not included in the bill.) In his veto letter, Gianforte, a Republican, agreed that river usage 'has increased dramatically in recent years.' However, he said he believes the state can achieve the same goal over a longer period, potentially using a pilot program to study a portion of the river stretches in the bill. 'The idea of a pilot program is just an example, and over the course of the interim, I look forward to working with the bill sponsor, members of the Legislature, and FWP officials to find a more cost effective way of addressing this important need,' Gianforte said in the letter.
Ammon
20-05-2025
- Science
- Ammon
Experts at U.S. Embassy: The National Seed Bank is a Pioneer in Biodiversity Conservation
Ammon News - Professor Dr. Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Rawashdeh, Director General of the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), received a delegation from the U.S. Embassy in Amman. The delegation included Dr. Seckinger, Director of the Regional Environmental Office; Muhannad Shahwan, Agricultural Specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Jomertz, Economic Officer specializing in water and the environment; and Yara Abu-Laban, Regional Environmental Specialist. The visit aimed to gain insight into the operations of the National Seed Bank affiliated with NARC. During the visit, the U.S. Embassy delegation praised the leading role of the National Agricultural Research Center in conserving biodiversity and safeguarding plant heritage. They expressed the embassy's interest in future collaboration with the National Seed Bank to enhance biodiversity efforts. The delegation noted that NARC benefits from a new leadership that has advanced the scientific research environment and boasts extensive expertise in biodiversity, evidenced by 48 scientific papers published in this field. Dr. Al-Rawashdeh stated that the National Seed Bank was established under Royal directives and aligns with the Economic Modernization Vision and the National Sustainable Development Plan, which the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture is implementing. The Seed Bank focuses on the genetic characterization of wild relatives of local seeds, particularly those evaluated by NARC researchers for phenotypic traits to support breeding and crop improvement programs. He added that the center aims to expand research related to the integration of modern technologies such as tissue culture and molecular techniques in the evaluation of wild relatives and local landraces of economically valuable crops. This is to accelerate the development of economically viable varieties in line with national strategic goals aimed at enhancing food security. He also emphasized that NARC looks forward to joint efforts to position the region as a promising source of genetic diversity that can serve both the local area and the broader region.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House preliminarily approves ‘River census' study bill
A frequent visitor to the Treasure State takes a break from a raft float on a popular stretch of the Blackfoot River. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan) Rep. David Bedey was born and raised in Hamilton, and he used to fish the Bitterroot River, but it's so busy he doesn't anymore. 'Now I go to the Clark Fork or somewhere else where I don't have to play bumper cars with folks,' said Bedey, a Hamilton Republican. Bedey made the comments Wednesday in the House Appropriations Committee in support of river use data that would be collected through House Bill 762, sponsored by Rep. Joshua Seckinger, D-Bozeman. The 'river census' bill, which preliminarily passed 67-32 in the House one day earlier, would require Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to produce a report of all watercraft on 16 river stretches in the summer totaling 966 miles in the state. On the House floor Tuesday, Seckinger, a fishing guide, said waterways are busier than ever, and attempts have been made to regulate the fishing and guiding industry in Montana, but without data. 'HB 762 will count everything that floats — rafts, kayaks, drift boats, inflatable flamingos, canoes and tubes — and categorize them by type,' Seckinger said. He said the report will divide the data into private or commercial use, and it will distinguish between fishing or general recreation. Seckinger told the committee the guiding and outfitting industry brings in half a billion dollars a year in direct revenue, not counting associated costs such as hotel and gas. If people want to restrict those businesses, he said, they should have evidence about the source of the impacts, not just anecdotes. 'If we want to regulate the guiding and outfitting industry, let's get some data,' Seckinger said. The bill's most recent fiscal note indicates an estimated cost of $2.7 million for the biennium, including a 15% contingency, although it doesn't account for an amendment to the bill. However, money would not come out of the general fund, but from FWP's state parks account, which is funded through vehicle and camping fees and marijuana tax revenue, an FWP official told the Appropriations Committee. 'This would just come out of our cash fund balance. It wouldn't reduce any other programmatic spending,' said FWP budget analyst Joy Ross. The fiscal note said the review would take place from May 15 to September 15 for two years, or eight months total. Seckinger said the state study would incorporate a separate river study conducted by Montana State University, which would bring up the total miles reviewed to 1,200. A couple of legislators said they weren't sure the benefit would be worth the cost. During the floor debate, Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, said he conducted plenty of 'real surveys' early on in his career, and he wasn't convinced the state would get enough bang for the buck. 'It just seemed to me like $2.7 million for a boat survey seemed like an awful lot of money,' Fielder said. In committee, though, Bedey said the study could reveal potential problems that need to be solved, not just with congestion, but with the quality of facilities, such as boat ramps that need to be fixed. 'This is a useful study because I think there are some problems that may need to be solved,' Bedey said. The Appropriations Committee did not take immediate action on the bill Wednesday. In February, it passed out of the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on a 16-4 vote. House Bill 762 lists the following river stretches as part of the study, 966 total miles: The Blackfoot River from the Harry Morgan fishing access site to its confluence with the Clark Fork River, The Clark Fork River system from Warm Springs to Plains, The North Fork of the Flathead River to its confluence with the Flathead River, The Middle Fork of the Flathead River to its confluence with the Flathead River, The South Fork of the Flathead River from below the Hungry Horse dam to its confluence with the Flathead River, The Flathead River above Flathead Lake from Blankenship bridge to Sportsman's bridge, The East Fork of the Bitterroot River from Sula to its confluence with the Bitterroot River, The West Fork of the Bitterroot River from Painted Rocks dam to its confluence with the Bitterroot River, The Bitterroot River to its confluence with the Clark Fork River, The Missouri River from the Holter dam to Cascade, The Dearborn River from Highway 200 to its confluence with the Missouri River, The Jefferson River from Hell's Canyon to Three Forks, including a report for the month of October, The Gallatin River from the Yellowstone National Park boundary to its confluence with the Missouri River, The Madison River from Beartrap Canyon to Grey Cliff north, The Big Horn River from the Afterbay access site to the Two Leggins fishing access site, and The Yellowstone River from the Mayor's Landing fishing access site to the Indian Fort fishing access site.
