Forest Service, County Commissions, local groups endorse Daines’ bill
U.S. SENATE — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a hearing on U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ bill, the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act. Daines’ bill protects public access and use of Montana’s public lands by implementing the U.S. Forest Service’s recommendation to release 449,500 acres of Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Montana.
“As a fifth-generation Montanan and avid outdoorsman, I understand how important public lands are to Montanans,” said Daines. “After 40 years of inaction from Congress, it is time to unlock our public lands and return them to the people of Montana.”
During the hearing, Daines questioned the U.S. Forest Service about why they support the release of the five WSAs included in Daines’ bill and what the public input process looked like as they conducted their study of the WSAs.
Watch the video HERE.
Download the video HERE.
Watch Daines’ opening remarks HERE.
Additional Information
For the full text of the bill, click HERE.
For Public Use of Public Lands Act FAQ, click HERE.
For a map of the WSAs included in the bill, click HERE.
For Q&A about land protections and the collaborative process for new uses, click HERE.
For Daines’ Medium post about the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act, click HERE.
For statements of support, click HERE.
For letters of support, click HERE.
Local Support for the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act
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