Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am here to urge my Senate colleagues to support S. 47, a lands package that includes over 100 locally driven as well as nationally important bills--specifically, two very important priorities for Montana. The first is the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the second is the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a critical tool in protecting and expanding access to what makes Montana so special; that is, our public lands. This program works with willing landowners. You see, when you look at a map of landowners in Montana, it becomes oftentimes very checkerboard in nature. You have sections owned privately, sections owned by the State government, sections owned by the Federal Government. What LWCF does is allows willing landowners to provide more access to public lands, as well as increasing outdoor recreation opportunities for cities and towns. It helps multigenerational farmers and ranchers and loggers continue to work their land. Yet, without permanent reauthorization of this critical program, it will continue to expire, Congress after Congress, putting so much of what makes Montana the ``Last Best Place'' at risk because in Montana public lands are a way of life. For Cindy and for me, we can think of no better experience than to put backpacks on and head up to the Beartooth Wilderness, for example, during the weeks of August.…”