Utah politicians have a history of trying to sell off public land to benefit the real estate developers and extractive industries that fund them. Recently, the State of Utah filed a lawsuit in the United States Supreme Court, aiming to seize control of 18.5 million acres of America’s public lands within the state’s borders. And now 13 other states have joined in support of it. But not the State of Montana. Thanks, Governor and Attorney General, let’s keep it that way.
While Utah claims it only wants to manage these lands, history shows that—when given the opportunity—it opens the door to massive sell-offs of public lands to private interests. Let’s not mince words: Utah’s ultimate goal is to sell off all federal public lands to the highest bidder at the expense of wildlife, habitat and public access. If this effort succeeds, it could jeopardize the future of public lands everywhere, especially across the West and here in Montana.
Utah’s lawsuit claims the federal government can constitutionally only own property for military bases and the nation’s capital. By that logic, the federal government couldn’t own any Bureau of Land Management lands, national forests, national parks, monuments, or wildlife refuges across the United States.
The consequences would be devastating. Ranchers could find grazing fees much, much higher. Our state budget would be burdened with millions of dollars in new obligations for fire suppression and extractive industry permitting. Rural communities would face even greater disruption as prized parcels get sold to and developed by absentee landowners. Wildlife habitat and migration routes would be further compromised. And the access to public lands and waters we treasure here in Montana could be lost forever.
This is our call to action. Sign this petition encouraging Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen to stand firm and reject Utah’s public land heist.
We’ll make sure your voices are heard. The petition will be delivered to Montana’s Governor and Attorney General, shared with all 150 incoming Montana State Senators and Representatives convening in Helena in January 2025, and sent to our new Congressional delegation and the incoming Trump Administration.
We’ll also keep you posted on the latest developments of this extraordinary test of character of Montana elected officials.
