The Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation (BNRC) was a citizen board appointed by the Governor (Roy E. Huffman was appointed by Governor Thomas L. Judge). It oversaw the implementation of legislation regulating natural resource and conservation issues. Two major tasks of the BNRC during Roy Huffman's tenure were water reservation rulings provided for by the Montana Water Use Act of 1973 (which created singular changes in water reservations on Montana watercourses) and the approval of siting and construction of energy generating and conservation facilities and large transmission lines as mandated by the Major Facilities Siting Act. In 1995 the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation was reorganized and the BNRC was eliminated.
The collection has been arranged into three series. Series One papers include minutes and agendas of the meetings from January 1977-January 1981; organizational and administrative papers; news releases and schedules of events; Roy Huffman's working papers, personal correspondence and expense vouchers; files on projects and agencies within the Board's jurisdiction including: conservation districts, dams, fire rules (forests), flood plain delineations, grazing districts, the Renewable Alternative Energy Program, rights-of-way, sediment control, state water development projects, some water reservations papers, watershed and river basin activities and weather modification along with the Circle West Project, Montana Power Company interests, and materials related to the interaction between the BNRC, Legislature, Courts and other constituencies. Series Two records relate to the decisions on in-stream water reservations for the Yellowstone River (the first river to be adjudicated under the new law). Requests for water reservations, transcriptions of hearings, petitions for rehearing, final arguments, legal briefs and the final orders on Yellowstone River reservations and related papers are represented in this series. Interested parties included cities, towns and agricultural enterprises along the river, 14 Applicant Conservation Districts, the Dept. of State Lands, the Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Dept. of Health and Environmental Sciences, the Dept. of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, Utah International, Inc., Intake Water Company, the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Montana Council of Trout Unlimited, and the Federation of Fly Fishermen. Series Three records cover implementation by the BNRC of the Major Facilities Siting Act, in particular the Colstrip - Hot Springs, Montana Transmission Line for connection with the Bonneville system and amendments to the construction permits for the Colstrip #3 and #4 generating plants. A major portion of the papers for the main transmission lines of the Montana Power Co. are related to the Broadview - Grass Range - Glengarry 100 kV line and the main 500 kV Colstrip to Hot Springs line. Also present are records related to corridor designations for the Clyde Park - Dillon Transmission Line through the Jack Creek drainage in the Gallatin National Forest with the attendant litigation of the Montana Wilderness Assn., the Anaconda - Hamilton Transmission Line, and Northern Lights, Inc request for the Troy - Mt. Vernon power line for the proposed Mt. Vernon Mine. Correspondence by Board members Ted J. Doney, Cecil Weeding, John C. Orth, and Joseph W. Sabol (attorney for the Board) as well as Roy Huffman are prevalent. Maps, aerial mosaics, charts, hearing exhibits, pamphlets, reports, articles and other supporting materials are present within the various series. Many records are photocopies distributed to the Board members. Published background studies and reports readily available in the stacks and/or Special Collections were removed from the collection.
Series 1: Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation records, 1977-1981
Series 2: Yellowstone River water reservation records, 1976-1980
Series 3: Major Facilities Siting Act: Colstrip #3 and #4 and transmission line records, 1976-1981
This collection is open for research.
Records of the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation were donated to the Montana State University Library by Roy E. Huffman on December 14, 1982. They were collected by him during his tenure as a member of the board from January 1977 to January 1981.
This collection was processed 2009 March 31
Agendas, minutes, correspondence, news releases, events schedules, annual reports, organizational and administrative files of the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation (BNRC); legislative and litigation files; reports, brochures and articles; a set of Roy E. Huffman's correspondence, working papers and travel vouchers; files related to specific programs and projects addressed by the Board; and other miscellaneous assorted papers and materials of the Board. Many of the papers are photocopies distributed to Board members. The files have been arranged in alphabetical order and then chronologically within subjects.
(proposed)
Case study and newspaper articles; applications for water reservations; transcripts of the Yellowstone River Reservation Applications hearings plus exhibits; petitions for rehearings; Billings, Montana rehearing papers; additions and extensions of reserves; proposed and final findings of fact, conclusions and orders; legal documents including briefs, responses and motions; Montana Supreme Court and Montana District Court papers; the transcript of the final arguments and the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation decisions and orders. The interests of Utah International, Inc. and Intake Water Company are well represented. The files are for the most part in chronological order.
(Utah Intl., Inc. and Intake Water Co. motions)
Records of actions to amend the Major Facilities Siting Act, including reports, studies, comments, transcripts of testimony, decisions and orders. Records related to the applications for the Colstrip #3 and #4 sites include reports, environmental impact statements, permits, contracts, other studies, legal documents and related papers. Records of activities related to the determination of locations and appropriateness of transmission lines for power from Colstrip, Montana to Hot Springs, Montana and various other Montana sites including Broadview, Grass Range, Glengarry, Anaconda, Hamilton, Billings Clyde Park, Dillon, Troy and Mt. Vernon. Materials include diagrams, maps (that show both routes and suggested rerouting of the lines and include named holdings of effected landowners), aerial mosaics, transcripts of hearings, exhibits and testimony, legal documents, and findings of fact and orders of the Board. One particularly contentious issue represented was the location of a transmission line through the Jack Creek drainage in the Gallatin National Forest near the Big Sky Resort.
(on amended application)