Bullock's veto of anti-public lands bill

Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed a bill that would have created a task force to study how the state could take ownership of federal lands in Montana.

House Bill 496, sponsored by Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, and supported by Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, called for creating a task force to consider management of all federal lands in Montana, including Indian reservations and Department of Defense lands, along with national forests and grasslands.

The bill passed in the Senate by 27-23 on April 20 and in the House by 51-48 on April 23. Bullock vetoed the bill on May 4.

Montana sportsmen applauded Bullock for vetoing controversial legislation that would have paved the way to selling off public lands. Opponents to HB 496 considered it a first step toward selling public lands and closing off public access.

“This anti-public lands bill was a bad idea for Montana every step of the way, and we’re grateful to Gov. Bullock for standing with Montanans against any scheme to ultimately close off our public lands,” said Joelle Selk, president of the Montana Bowhunters Association.  “We join tens of thousands of Montanans in calling on our elected leaders to stop pushing out-of-state, astro-turf plans to weaken our outdoor heritage.”

The issue of transferring public lands was contentious and drew about 500 people to the Capitol for a rally on President’s Day to protest efforts to implement the public land takeover agenda of the Utah-based American Lands Council.

“After the rallies, the petition, and countless opinion pieces in statewide newspapers all opposing transfer, it’s clear that Montanans have shut the door on this scheme,” said Dave Chadwick, executive director of Montana Wildlife Federation. “We thank the governor for listening to Montanans and vetoing the one and only transfer bill to sneak through the Legislature.”

Public lands contribute to an outdoor recreation economy that creates 64,000 direct jobs in Montana and pumps nearly $6 billion into the local economy while providing a stable tax base of over $500 million per year.

“Public land management is complex. It requires honest conversations and hard work from folks on the ground, like we have with our Citizen Advisory Committees & Resource Advisory Committees,” said John Sullivan, co-chair of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “For anyone to say that Montana’s public lands are only managed by D.C. bureaucrats is disingenuous. Local working groups spend countless hours collaborating with land managers to decide how to best manage public lands for all Americans. That’s truly democracy in action.”