Legislative council eliminates public land transfer recommendation
September 10, 2014 7:29 pm • TOM KUGLIN Independent Record
An interim legislative council voted to strip a controversial recommendation from its report on federal land management that opponents said left the door open for the Legislature to pursue a state takeover of federal lands.
The Environmental Quality Council draft report that went out for public comment in July included 11 total recommendations including better coordination with federal agencies and identifying funding options for wildlife habitat and access. The final recommendation stated that the, “Legislature should not pursue the transfer of federally-owned lands to the state of Montana until all other options are investigated.”
The EQC tied on a vote that would have changed that recommendation to say that the Legislature should not pursue the transfer at all. A tie meant the measure failed under council rules.
Of the 214 comments received on the draft report, 194 were firmly against pursuing a transfer with two explicitly in favor of pursuing a transfer, EQC staffer Joe Kolman told the council.
The EQC heard from several sportsman and conservation groups opposing the transfer during the public comment period before committee members stated their own concerns about the land transfer recommendation and the discussion surrounding it.
“It was a mistake to put it in there in the first place,” said Sen. Brad Hamlett, D-Cascade.
The study was meant to explore possible solutions to management issues, and the question of a transfer should only be discussed after it has received a fair hearing, he said.
“Number 11 really politicized it and I just hope we can get past that,” said Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman.
The other 10 recommendations are really good, White said, and it is time to get to work on severe threats to jobs, wildlife habitat and fire protections by engaging federal land managers, he said.
“When you look at this it got completely off rail when you look at the other ten steps there,” said Rep. Jerry Bennett, R-Libby. “We need to move forward. This has been a fire starter or conversation starter, but we don’t’ want to see it politicized. We want to put people to work.”
Public committee member Scott Aspenlieder took issue with a recent Lee Newspaper series that looked at various aspects of the land transfer debate. He called the series a “kangaroo court” and said the series contained inaccuracies, but did not elaborate.
Aspenlieder also dismissed the contention of many opponents of the transfer that it would eventually lead to public lands being sold into private hands.
“The intent has never been to privatize the land, we all enjoy what Montana has to offer,” he said.
While the issue has become a “political hot potato,” Aspenlieder said, the dialogue has raised attention about the need for better land management.
Along with striking the land transfer recommendation, the council also voted to add language from Rep. Ed Lieser stating that fuel loading on federal land has been a factor in fire danger along with climate change.
Lieser’s testified that Montana should take steps to reduce its carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is contributing to climate change and fire danger on federal lands.
In response, Chairman Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey called global warming “baloney” before voting against the motion.
Brenden and the other Republicans and all but two Democrats on the council then voted in favor of approving and sending the report to the Legislature with the transfer recommendation eliminated, and the addition of an amendment also identifying a lack of logging as a reason for poor federal land conditions along with Lieser’s additions.
“The public response was overwhelming,” said Nick Gevock, outreach director for the Montana Wildlife Federation. “This was a privatization effort and you heard it time and again.”
The expense of managing the lands made the transfer cost prohibitive making a sale inevitable, he said.
“I think they heard crystal clear to keep public lands in public hands,” said John Gatchell, conservation director for the Montana Wilderness Association, who testified in opposition to the transfer.
While MWA favored altering the recommendation to recommend against pursuing a transfer, the vote had a similar message and Montana would not jump on the bandwagon with other states pursuing a transfer, he said.
“Our public lands and waters are priceless,” Gatchell said. “You don’t have to ask permission to go there. It’s your birth right.”