Ravalli Republic: Nearly $5M secured for Ravalli County wastewater plant, bridge and road projects

Originally published by the Ravalli Republic on March 12, 2026. By Jessica Abell. Reposted here for accessibility.

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Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke attended a ceremonial check signing with Ravalli County officials in Hamilton on Thursday celebrating $4.5 million in federal funding secured for Bitterroot Valley infrastructure projects.

According to Zinke’s office, the funds were secured in fiscal year 2026 as a part of the appropriations process. The funding includes $2.5 million to build a new Ravalli County Wastewater Treatment Plant, $1 million in funding to repair Old Corvallis Road and $1 million for replacing Groff Lane Bridge.

Zinke also made stops in Ronan and Superior on Tuesday prior to his Hamilton event. All told, Ravalli, Lake and Mineral counties received more than $5.9 million in federal funding for local infrastructure projects, according to a press release.

The stops come on the heels of his recent decision to not seek reelection to his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to health-related issues.

“It's just repair. Even a battleship has to return to port once in a while for repair and reload,” Zinke said. "I can't defer two and a half years. I can defer between now and when I turn over and that's fine, but to defer it further is a lot of risk. Plus, Montana deserves representation and when you're gone as much as maybe 90 days I don't think it's the right thing for Montana.”

Zinke was joined by Ravalli County Commissioner Jeff Burrows and Ravalli County Economic Development Association Director Julie Foster at the County Roads Department for the check signing and was greeted by Road Department staff on his arrival.

Zinke emphasized the need for local decision-making on federal funds allocation when speaking at the event.

“For those that look at appropriations, it's better, I think, for the county commissioners to decide where the federal money goes, rather than Washington, D.C. ... It's been better for this guy to decide what he needs rather than Washington, D.C.,” Zinke said pointing to Commissioner Burrows.

“These projects wouldn't happen without this funding,” Burrows said. “The wastewater treatment plant, this is a good start to it. We're still going to have to find some more funding for it, because we've estimated that the brand new plant ... they're estimating $12 million, $10 million plus a piece. So we still got some more work to do. These projects wouldn't be started without that money.”

Zinke, the former secretary of the Interior Department under President Donald Trump’s first administration, touched on a number of Bitterroot Valley issues during his visit, including the proposed Sheep Creek mine and Montana’s recent Shared Stewardship Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service signed by Governor Gianforte last week.

The agreement will allow Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to do forest management work on USFS land, and open up 200,000 acres in the West Fork to timber harvest.

Zinke said he is an advocate of the agreement and an “advocate for landscape,” citing Germany's approach to forest management.

“This area has a little more high density of growth, maybe you want to thin this out a little more, and this area needs to be protected a little more because of sensitive habitat, but you manage rather than let it burn down,” he said.

When asked about the proposed Sheep Creek mine, Zinke said after a recent meeting with Secretary Doug Burgum he doesn’t think the project is in “acceleration mode,” adding “transparency is important.”

“I'm not against mining. I'm against mining with unknowns. And there's a process,” Zinke said. “You got to look at the claim, and then after the claim, you have to do test holes. And test holes will tell you how much material you have to move. You have to look at whether you have the water or not, and transportation, and then put a mining plan together, and that gives the community and everyone a fair look at what it means. But to accelerate without going through the steps, I think, is disingenuous on everybody. I’m pro mining but you’ve got to mine in the right spot, in the right conditions, and when you accelerate something that county commissioners haven't been briefed on, I think there's a problem.”

Burrows noted the commissioners still have not been briefed by U.S. Critical Materials on the proposed Sheep Creek Mine project, as discussed at a public meeting in December.

Burrows thanked Zinke for his help in procuring funds for local projects.

“We appreciate the Congressman bringing this money,” Burrows said. “This is about the third time we met with him to get presentations on these checks. He's really delivered on some of those things. And I think he's been sincere when he said, ‘What do you guys need? Let me know.’ Him and his staff have done a good job of bringing some money to Ravalli County.”

This article originally appeared in the Ravalli Republic, here.