The following actions are recommended: 



The State of Montana and the Legislature should continue 

 to support aggressive pursuit of the natural resource damages 

 claim to assure appropriate compensation to the state from 

 responsible parties. It is essential that the State fully 

 utilize the opportunities provided by Superfund legislation 

 both to eliminate the hazardous waste sites and recoup the 

 value of lost or injured resources. Funds recovered under 

 this authority will be placed in trust and used to restore 

 the full resource potential of the Clark Fork Basin. 



Program Implementation and Continuity 



During the past four years, the Clark Fork Basin has 

 been the focus of many agency activities. The Clark Fork 

 Basin Project initiated by Governor Schwinden has worked to 

 coordinate these activities and to formulate an action plan 

 for the future. The completion of this report concludes the 

 Clark Fork Basin Project, but it should also signal the 

 beginning of a new effort to implement the project recommen- 

 dations. It is essential to maintain the continuity of 

 agency activities to assure progress in pollution abatement 

 and water resource management. 



Three organizational structures were presented in the 

 draft report (continue the Clark Fork Basin Project, create < 

 Clark Fork Basin Commission, and create an interstate basin 

 organization) . Strong support was voiced for the continua- 

 tion of the Clark Fork Basin Project in the Governor's 

 Office. The following program is recommended: 



1. Continue the project in the Governor's Office as it has 

 been structured in the past. A Clark Fork Basin Project 

 coordinator, whose primary responsibility is the Clark 

 Fork Project, would serve as chairman of the Interagency 

 Task Force and the Citizen's Advisory Council. Objec- 

 tives of the project would be to: 



a. Maintain a high level of communication with govern- 

 ment agencies, public interest groups, and the 

 general public. 



b. Work with legislators and agency administrators to 

 ensure that actions recommended by this report and 

 other investigations are implemented. 



c. Seek funding to implement the recommended programs. 



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