Montana hunters & anglers object to ignoring rules & public comment to fast-track oil & gas extraction
Call on Senators Daines & Sheehy & Representatives Zinke & Downing to defend working & public land & public input
Reacting to the announcement of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s “emergency” plan to change permitting processes for mining, oil and gas, and other select minerals and energy sources, the Montana Wildlife Federation issued the following statement, attributable to Executive Director Frank Szollosi.
“The only emergency that Montana’s hunters and anglers can discern is chaotic decision-making by the federal government. Secretary Doug Burgum swore to uphold the Interior Department’s mission to “protect and manage the Nation’s natural resources.” When oil and gas production is already at a record high, it marks an extreme move to cut Montanans from decisions about where industry drills.
This sop to special interests will negatively impact public land, Montana farms and ranches, Montana rivers and streams, and our wildlife. A federal emergency declaration could overrule private property rights and greenlight extractive drilling on private lands where oil and gas resources are federally owned without consulting landowners. Our families, wildlife, and communities deserve a balanced approach that respects responsible development and local expertise.
Montanans know our lands best, and we should maintain our rightful role in determining where and how development occurs on our public lands. We call on our delegation, especially Senator Daines and Senator Sheehy, who supported Burgum’s confirmation earlier this year, to defend public input and working and public lands across Montana.”
Background from the Natural Resources Defense Council:
Under the guise of a “National Energy Emergency,” the department is slashing permitting timelines and overriding safeguards under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
These changes will sideline the public, short-circuit Tribal consultation, and open public lands and oceans to drilling, mining, and other industrial development with minimal oversight.
- No legal basis: The administration’s move to bypass environmental law is unprecedented and legally dubious. It directly conflicts with decades of established policy and practice under NEPA, ESA, and the NHPA.
- Rubber-stamp approvals: Projects that once required thorough environmental review and public engagement will now bypass critical protections, reducing permitting to a hollow, rubber-stamp process.
- Public silenced: The rule slashes—and in some cases eliminates entirely—public comment windows and short-circuits Tribal consultation processes, minimizing the role of communities, scientists, and local governments.
- Endangered species and cultural sites at risk: By gutting Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act safeguards, the policy leaves wildlife, habitat and sacred cultural sites vulnerable to destruction.
- All for extraction: Despite being pitched as energy-neutral, this change overwhelmingly benefits oil, gas, coal, and mining companies—opening public lands and waters to dangerous exploitation under the cover of emergency.
