Political Quotes

“Montanans want to access and enjoy our State's public lands, and for a very good reason. Nothing beats our way of life in Montana--our hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, backpacking, climbing, all with a backdrop of breathtaking views and a very rich history of conservation. That is why Congressman Gianforte and I introduced the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act. Our bill protects our pristine natural resources while also ensuring that Montanans are able to recreate in U.S. Forest Service lands that are not wilderness, but they have been locked up in regulatory limbo for decades. Congressman Gianforte's second bill deals with similarly locked-up Bureau of Land Management lands. Here is what the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act does. It ensures public access to land within five wilderness study areas across Montana. They are also called WSAs. While there are thousands more acres of public land that are still in limbo, I put these five WSAs in my bill for two simple reasons. First, the Forest Service determined that these lands were not suitable for wilderness in their final plan. In fact, that was a charge given by Congress in 1977. They said: Go out and study these Forest Service lands and tell us which acres are suitable for wilderness and which are not. The acreages I am proposing we should release are those that were deemed not suitable for wilderness in the final plan by the Forest Service.…”