Online Exclusive: Legislative report with Sen. Aubyn Curtiss

Lincoln County citizens long concerned about maintaining healthy forests and multiple-use access to public lands welcomed the announcement that Congressman Dennis Rehberg will be conducting a hearing in Libby Saturday on what Sen. Jon Tester touts as his “jobs and recreation” bill.

Those who attended the Troy hearing came away frustrated that they were not allowed to have questions or comments included in the official record. In his zeal to pass S 1470 Sen. Tester has disallowed regular public testimony and more or less conducted “telling” sessions, rather than allowing a conventional “hearing” format.

Even elected officials were not permitted to speak or ask questions. Those who expressed desire to have their statements on the record were told they could go to Helena if they wanted to testify, but were not told where or when.

Although Sen. Tester claims extremely strong support for his bill because of a poll conducted early on, the media was unable to learn who the 500 polled individuals were, or who had paid for the poll. Now that the so-called “MontanaForests.org” is running huge ads in the newspapers to promote the bill, one could perhaps be forgiven for concluding that the same supporters underwrote the costs and conducting of the poll as well.

Information gleaned by accessing the website and its links leads one to believe that Campaign for Americas Wilderness set up the website which purportedly is funded  by Montana business owners, loggers, sportsmen and conservationists. Other links establish connections between Campaign for America’s Wilderness, the Pew Family Trusts, Montana Wilderness Association, National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited.

Claims that the proposal is a “jobs and recreation bill” defy imagination when the reality is that S 1470 cannot provide meaningful, permanent jobs, and it cannot revitalize non-existent mills.  A graphic reminder is the scrap metal, once part of the Fortine Plum Creek Mill photographed as it is being loaded on box cars for shipment to other venues to provide jobs for other than Montanans. Many multiple-use advocates question the proposed recreational opportunities as well.

Reality is that under the 1987 Forest Service Planning Rule still in effect, current management practices already allow for achievement of all but one of the goals promised in Tester’s enthusiastic presentations.  That one goal is the designation of more wilderness and more limited access to our public lands for multiple uses.

The pressure to create more wilderness is not coming from the 1,600 Lincoln County people who signed petitions to allow for continued access for multiple use or from the 2,188 others in northwest Montana who signed petitions against passage of S 1470.

The bottom line is that S 1470, subjected to normal public scrutiny, cannot be justified. Serious questions about violations of federal laws and the constitution have not been answered and the senator has not honored a request to provide an economic analysis on the affect of this proposed legislation on small communities and local residents. Federal law requires that consideration be given communities adjacent to lands managed by federal agencies.

Sen. Tester has been dogged by allegations he has made no effort to rebut or refute. Madison, Jefferson and Beaverhead counties have all opposed the partnership agreement process which led to the crafting of the bill.

Beaverhead County Sen. Debby Barrett, who has watched the process in her county from the beginning has stated: “There are laws for land management planning at all levels: state, local and federal.  All of these laws have been violated at each and every level in Montana, and the results of these law violations are the basis for Senator Tester’s wilderness bill.”

Congressman Rehberg’s hearing will be at the Ponderosa Room between 3 and 4:30 on Saturday. Hope to see you there.

(Aubyn Curtiss is a Republican member of the Montana Senate and represents District 1).