For Immediate Release

September 21, 2023

MCV: “Daines’ insider-deal to give away our prized public lands is exactly the wrong approach to responsible land management”

Conservation group condemns Daines’ legislation that ends protections for public lands while celebrating the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act moving forward

(BOZEMAN, Mont.) –Today, Montana Conservation Voters released the following statement from Executive Director Whitney Tawney in response to two bills passing out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee –  Senator Jon Tester’s Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act and Senator Steve Daines’ misleading Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act:

“BCSA moving forward is a great day for Montana and a responsible Montana-made solution to protect the Last Best Place. But Senator Daines’ insider-deal to give away our prized public lands is exactly the wrong approach to responsible land management. Unfortunately, crafting legislation with DC lobbyists in back offices rather than the kitchen tables of Montanans is repeat history for Senator Daines. We look forward to working with Montanans locally and statewide to hold our elected officials accountable to their records – good and bad.”

BCSA will help grow Montana’s $7.1 billion outdoor recreation economy, adding nearly 80,000 acres to the Mission Mountains, Scapegoat, and Bob Marshall Wilderness Areas. It will also provide appropriate forest management and establish two outdoor recreation areas north of Ovando, providing new winter motorized access and preserving mountain biking opportunities. According to a recent poll, BCSA is supported by 84% of Montanans locally and statewide.  

In contrast, the unpopular Montana Sportsman Conservation Act would eliminate protections from Montana Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) including Hoodoo Mountain, Wales Creek, and the Middle Fork of the Judith River. The bill has little support among Montanans, sportsmen or otherwise. A 2022 voter survey found that only 6% of Montanans supported eliminating protections from Wilderness Study Areas. 

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Montana Conservation Voters is a statewide non-partisan membership organization dedicated to fighting for Montana’s air, water, open spaces, wildlife and public health. MCV provides voter participation services to tens of thousands of Montanans. Visit mtvoters.org for more details.

CONTACT

Anthony Licata

Communications Director
Montana Conservation Voters

406-426-2645