Senator Jon Tester introduced the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act in 2017
On Wednesday, February 22, more than 100 people gathered at Jack Rich’s Guest Ranch near Seeley Lake where Senator Jon Tester announced the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act — legislation that would implement the collaborative Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP).
The BCSP is a ground-breaking collaborative effort that will protect and enhance hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities on public land while helping to maintain and create jobs in the forest and recreation industry and support healthy, viable communities.
Hunters, anglers, outfitters, guides, snowmobilers, ranchers, loggers, local businesses, county commissioners and numerous others have joined forces to cut through the contentious divisiveness that hinders public land management today and reach common ground. Senator Tester’s legislation will make that common ground a reality.
Please take time today to call Senator Tester’s office at (202) 224-2644 and thank him for introducing this important legislation. Let him know if you hunt, fish, hike, canoe, cross-country ski, snowmobile or otherwise enjoy the abundance and diversity of wildlife and wild lands in the Blackfoot-Clearwater area — and let him know you appreciate his efforts to protect the places we cherish and strengthen local communities.
It is also important to contact Senator Steve Daines at (202) 224-2651 and urge him to support the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.
Today the Montana House of Representatives voted to kill a bill that would have strengthened the authority of county governments to remove illegal barriers on county roads that block access to public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreation.
The bill, HB 295, would have authorized county governments to remove illegal gates on established county roads and impose higher fines on people who place such barriers. It would also have allowed counties to issue permits for landowners with legitimate encroachment needs. The bill was sponsored by Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls.
HB 295 would have addressed the problem of illegal gates on public roads that block access to public land. As documented by the Montana Wildlife Federation in a report last year, these barriers are a real problem for too many Montana hunters, anglers, and outdoorspeople. The bill was developed over several months of negotiations with public hunters, county officials, and other stakeholders to ensure that it would balance public access with private property rights and legitimate maintenance needs.
“Montana lawmakers who really care about public access and private property rights supported this common-sense bill,” said Jacobson. “Thank you to the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Montana Association of Counties, and other stakeholders for your hard work to find common ground on this issue.”
Despite strongly supportive testimony from sportsmen, county governments, and other stakeholders, HB 295 was tabled in the House Judiciary Committee. Today’s vote would have allowed for consideration of the bill by the full House of Representatives.
“HB 295 had no opposition except the anti-access fringe groups who have repeatedly attacked Montana’s stream access and habitat conservation laws. We worked in good faith to increase county authority and local control, helping end conflicts before they become expensive lawsuits,” said MWF Executive Director Dave Chadwick. “It is sad to see some Montana lawmakers cave to special interest politics and oppose common-sense solutions.”
The Legislature is nearly at the halfway point and that means transmittal, when most bills must have passed one chamber in order to stay alive. That caused a rush of bills to be passed – or die – last week, as committees took up executive action on numerous measures. Here’s the rundown:
Wilderness Releases
The Montana Wildlife Federation and our conservation partners worked to turn out volunteers to opposed HJ 9, a resolution that calls on Congress to release hundreds of thousands of acres of Wilderness Study Areas from consideration for wilderness designation. The hearing drew more than 70 opponents, but the bill passed out on Friday. MWF and our partners will continue to fight this misguided proposal on the House floor.
Public Lands Resolutions
Two good resolutions to put Montana on record against the sale or transfer of federal public lands where heard this week, with one in each chamber (SJ 17 and HJ 11). MWF and our volunteers were there to testify, but both were killed in committee. Attempts to blast them onto the floor of their respective chambers were also defeated.
Public Lands Day
On a positive note, HB 491 to designate March 1 as Public Lands Day to honor our public lands was heard and drew wide support. The bill passed out of the House FWP Committee and is going to the House floor this week.
State Parks Changes
This week was a busy one for the state parks division of FWP. The House FWP Committee passed out HB 324, which would make changes to how the parks are administered, including letting the State Parks Board select the director of the division. In addition, the committee heard HB 454, which would have moved the parks department to the Department of Commerce. Both bills would be bad for FWP and could have jeopardized millions of federal hunting and fishing equipment excise taxes. MWF continues to oppose these bills.
Grizzly Delisting Resolution
MWF testified against HJ 15, a resolution that calls on Congress to delist grizzly bears from the federal Endangered Species List for the entire state. Although MWF supports the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly population, we do not support a statewide delisting, nor do we support Congress doing an end run around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service process to use science to make a decision.
Hunter Pink, Lighted Nocks Go Down
The Senate Fish and Game committee tabled SB 237, which would have allowed blaze pink as an option for meeting the hunting safety requirement. It also tabled SB 225, which would have made legal lighted nocks for archery hunting equipment. MWF opposed the equipment change because lighted nocks were just approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is where such decisions should be made.
As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.
Wildlife bills kept MWF and our conservation partners busy last week as legislators work to pass bills before the upcoming transmittal deadline to get general bills to the other chamber of the Legislature.
Public roads bill hits roadblock
The main public access bill of the session, HB 295, faced a setback when it died 10-9 in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would raise the fine for gating a county road from the current $10 per day to up to $500 per day. It was carefully crafted for over a year, and drew the support of not only sportsmen groups but also the Montana Association of Counties. MWF is working to move the bill forward despite this setback. Stay tuned for how you can take action!
Sportsmen speak up against misguided Constitutional rewrite
MWF and numerous other sportsmen’s groups turned out to oppose SB 236, a referendum that would rewrite the Constitution’s language on hunting, fishing and trapping. The language in the proposed amendment would open up FWP to endless lawsuits, make it impossible to enforce wildlife protection laws, and otherwise hamper management of fish and wildlife. MWF’s efforts to work with the bill’s sponsor to draft practical language have been rebuffed. MWF was joined by numerous other opponents including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trout Unlimited, and the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Unnecessary changes to FWP shooting range funding
MWF opposed HB 151, which would have mandated that FWP spend $350,000/year on shooting range grants and criminalized state employees if the money isn’t spent. We strongly support shooting range funding, but this bill was unnecessary – every shooting range grant in the past two years has been funded – and it would have jeopardized $20 million in federal Pittman-Robertson funds by diverting license dollars away from wildlife management.
State Parks management changes
HB 324 would change the administration of the state parks, giving the duty to hire the director to the State Parks Board and making some other key changes. MWF opposed this bill because it comes with a $2 million price tag and could have implications for hunter/angler federal excise taxes. The bill passed out of the House FWP committee and is moving forward.
Looking ahead
This week remains busy as we approach the transmittal deadline. We will join a diverse coalition of other conservation groups in opposing a bill that would call for the release of all wilderness study areas (HJ 9. Other bills coming up include SB 284, affecting sage-grouse; SB 262, on public road access; and SB 264, revising reporting requirements for outfitters.
As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at www.montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.
Update: On Wednesday, May 5, the Senate voted not to repeal the Methane and Waste Reduction Rule by using the CRA.
In the latest attack on our nation’s clean air, water and public lands, the Senate has the BLM’s Methane and Waste Reduction Rule in its crosshairs. The vote which is expected to occur any day now would eliminate standards set by the BLM that limit natural gas waste from drilling on public lands. The House of Representatives has already used the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to roll back these common sense standards that ensure natural gas is captured and sold, instead of being flared and vented.
Oil and gas wells currently waste methane worth more than $330 million annually by burning it up instead of saving it. As a result, taxpayers lose royalty payments that would add up to over $800 million over the next decade. These royalties would be split about evenly between the federal government and the states, and then used to help fund education, infrastructure projects, such as road and bridges, and mitigation projects to address the impacts of energy development to western communities.
Vented and flared methane pollution also contributes to Montana’s extreme weather, wildfires, and low stream flows that all increasingly pose threats to our lands and wildlife. The BLM Methane and Waste Reduction Rule is a win-win-win for our land, wildlife, and our economy: It reduces pollution and capture a wasted energy resource, while generating royalty revenue on our public lands.
If this rule is disapproved by the Congressional Review Act, then it undermines the ability of the BLM to regulate the waste of natural gas on public lands in the future. Using the CRA would create a problematic situation preventing the BLM from safeguarding publicly-owned methane and would go directly against its legal obligations to the taxpayer.
The BLM’s Methane and Waste Reduction Rule makes sense for taxpayers, and for public land users. The rule is supported by businesses, public health and conservation organizations, and individual recreationists. According to the 2017 Conservation in the West poll by Colorado College found, 84 percent of Montanans support requiring oil and gas companies to use updated equipment and new technology to capture methane emissions instead of wasting it by burning it off.
Natural resources on public lands are owned by all Americans and the wasteful management of these resources result in losses to the taxpayers. If oil and gas development are to proceed on public lands in the West then taxpayers need to be getting a fair return.
Jeff Lukas
Conservation Director
Jeff Lukas is a passionate conservationist who has been fishing and hunting his entire life. Whether it’s floating a small stream chasing trout, pursuing elk in the high country, or waiting in a blind for ducks to set their wings, Jeff is always trying to bring more people afield to show them what we are trying to protect. He loves being in the arena, and he will never shy away from conversations about the beautiful and unique corners of Big Sky country.
