Discusses Importance of Multiple Land Use, Milk River Project and Fort Belknap Water Compact
Watch the full exchange HERE.
Daines: I’m inspired that the BLM’s core principle is multiple use. That’s congressionally mandated in the Federal Land Management and Policy Act. However, under the Biden administration, the Bureau of Land Management implemented the so-called Conservation and Landscape Health Rule that subverted the agency’s multiple use management of public lands. At that time I heard a lot from my ranchers. I expressed deep concerns with this rule especially as it pertained to the impacts on livestock grazing on public lands. Livestock operations are part of our Montana way of life, and cattle and sheep grazing on public lands provides benefits by mitigating the risk of wildfires, suppressing invasive grasses, improving wildlife habitat, while economically supporting our rural communities who are struggling across our state. Will you commit to reconsidering this overreaching rule that harms multiple use and destroys transparency and public input around land use decisions?
Beyer: I know that has been an extraordinary issue in your state, and I have followed that. And if I’m confirmed, I absolutely will follow the law, the multiple-use mandate, and the contours of FLPMA that provide that.
Daines: Earlier this month, we were very pleased that President Trump announced a number of executive orders to support coal in Montana. My generational roots go back five in Montana. I know many watch shows like Yellowstone where they see Brad Pitt with a fly rod in his hand. You think it’s only about fly fishing and as a lifelong fly fisherman, I couldn’t agree more, but we also have more recoverable coal than any state in the United States. It’s one of the understated facts and something many don’t know. So these EOs to support us in Montana with coal included rolling back the Miles City Resource Management Plan Amendment, prohibiting new coal development in eastern Montana. I’m grateful that Secretary Burgum likewise took steps to support energy development on our federal lands. I truly believe that BLM can balance coal, oil, gas, renewable energy development, while also supporting conservation, recreation, and grazing resources. That really is the mandate from Congress. My question is, do you support the actions by the President and the Secretary to roll back these anti-energy rules like the Miles City RMP and the unreachable bonding rates and return the BLM to its true multiple-use mandate?
Beyer: Absolutely, sir, I commit to working with you on that and to following direction of the President and the Secretary.
Daines: The Bureau of Reclamation is currently working quickly to address the catastrophic failure of two siphons from the St. Mary River that are a critical part of the Milk River project that provides water to irrigators on Montana’s Hi-line. I don’t expect you to be an expert on this, but I want to raise your awareness here because you will be confirmed and you will be serving. I’m grateful for that. Additionally, I’m working to finish Montana’s last tribal water compact. I’ve been working on tribal water compacts for much of my time back here in Congress. These sometimes go over a century, back to certainly treaties and getting these resolved on behalf of the irrigators in the tribe as one of a hash price. We’re down to one left in Montana and that’s for the Fort Belknap Indian community and we’re making great progress on that. We’re very close. This will improve infrastructure, economic development for both our tribal and our non-tribal water users. My question, will you work with me to ensure the continued success of these federal water projects so that farmers, ranchers, tribes, and municipal users will have certainty over their water rights and their usage?
Travnicek: Senator, thank you for the overview of both of those important concerns that you have in trying to move those projects forward. I’m committed to working with you on those.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins