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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Millions at stake in riverbed case

Matt Gouras Associated Press

HELENA – Montana is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stick with a lower court ruling that the state owns the riverbeds where hydroelectric dams sit and can charge power companies rent for their usage.

PPL Montana has gone to the nation’s high court, asking it to reverse a 2010 ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that declared the riverbeds were state property. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case in December.

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock argued in a Thursday filing that state title to the riverbeds stretches back to the 1800s. The argument relies upon historical records that even include notes from the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark more than 200 years ago.

PPL Montana, however, argues federal permits grant it the right of usage.