Tester, Walsh, Daines come together on historic lands-use bill

Montana’s Congressional delegation announced Dec. 3 they have come together on an agreement for a major land-use bill that rolls several pieces of key conservation legislation into a defense spending bill that could pass Congress in the coming days.

In a conference call Wednesday morning, Sens. Jon Tester and John Walsh and Rep. Steve Daines said the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, the Northern Cheyenne Lands Act and several other lands-use bills would be merged into the legislation.

“Today is an historic day for Montana,” Tester announced.

The North Fork Watershed Protection Act would ban all future energy leases on about 430,000 acres of federal land in the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

The one-page bill has been held up in Congress for several years and is seen as a critical piece of legislation to protect the western boundary of Glacier National Park, the middle of the North Fork river. A few years ago, the British Columbia provincial government passed a law banning mining and energy exploration in the North Fork drainage north of the border.

The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act has also been on Congress’ plate for several years. It would add about 67,000 acres of wilderness to the east side of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and protect another 200,000 acres of nearby federal land from further development, such as oil and gas leases.

Daines said the effort “breaks through the partisan gridlock” in Washington.

“In Montana, we know the importance of rolling up our sleeves and working together to get things done,” Daines said. “By coming together and finding common ground, Sens. Tester and Walsh and I are advancing eight bipartisan lands and resources bills that together address the concerns of Montanans from across our state — from ranchers and sportsmen to our tribes and natural resource industry. I’m proud that we’re taking historic steps today to protect some of our state’s greatest treasures, expand the responsible development of Montana’s energy resources, and expand and protect access to our public lands for generations to come.”

Tester called the effort “an example the entire Congress can learn from.”

“Our state is ‘the last best place’ because of our special places to hunt, fish and recreate, and by responsibly ensuring future generations can enjoy the Rocky Mountain Front and the North Fork, we preserve our outdoor heritage and traditions while strengthening our outdoor economy,” Tester said. “I was proud to fight for these bills and get them included in this package.”

The House could take up the defense bill as early as tomorrow, Dec. 4, Daines said. The language of the bills is largely intact, the lawmakers said.

Walsh said the effort reflects all the work accomplished by Montanans from all walks of the political spectrum.

“They brought these bills to us,” he said. “Thanks to all of the people in Montana.”

Polls showed that both the North Fork Watershed Protection Act and the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act had broad public support.

“This is the highlight of my serving in the U.S. Senate,” Walsh said.

The North Fork bill alone brought stiff opposition from some Republican senators earlier this year, but Tester said he’s optimistic the legislation will pass.

“We believe we’ve got that (opposition) ironed out,” he said. “We’re confident but not absolutely sure we can get this done.”

Among the eight bills in the package is the Cabin Fee Act, which will provide more certainty for about 700 Montana cabin owners on Forest Service land by establishing a fair and predictable system for setting cabin fees.

Paul McKenzie, the lands and resource manager for F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co., applauded the joint announcement.

“Stoltze is happy to see progress made on the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, and we look forward to similar progress being made on the issue of active management of our public lands for multiple use benefits,” McKenzie said.