Over 2000 people showed up for a public meeting on the 16th of September to register their nearly unanimous feeling about whether the federal government should designate land that is presently being used for grazing, farming and energy production as “National Monuments.” The feeling was emphatically “no.”
National BLM Director Bob Abbey assured the Malta crowd that there are presently no plans to designate further Monuments in Montana without public input.
To help ensure that the idea of the national monument does not become a reality, the Montana Petroleum Association is working with other like-minded groups through a new coalition, “Public Lands for Public Use.”
Along with the Petroleum Association, there are seven others on the list:
- Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance
- Montana Coal Council
- Montana Farm Bureau
- Montana Mining Association
- Montana Rural Education Association
- Montana Stockgrowers Association
- Montana Wood Products Association
The group has been working over the phone while in the planning stages and was able to sit down together for the first time on Monday.
Dave discussed their first formal meeting held this week.
Dave says that in the near future, the Public Lands for Public Use coalition will be gathering information to present a resolution to the 2011 Montana State Legislature that would urge Congress to take a look at the land use planning that is currently going on at the federal level and also to emphasize the need for multiple use on public land.
© Northern Ag Network 2010
Haylie Shipp
