Issue Position: SJ-15, Montana's Study Of Federally Managed Lands

Issue Position

In 2013, the Montana legislature affirmed our concerns with the condition of federally managed lands and resolved to find remedies via SJ-15, a resolution I introduced to authorize a state study seeking measures to help ensure these lands are managed responsibly and prudently for present and future generations.

The legislature began implementation of the study in the summer of 2013 by surveying all Montana counties comprised of 15% or more federally managed lands. The County Survey Responses revealed significant problems and threats related to federal land management throughout Montana.

A draft Study Matrix was utilized by the legislative SJ-15 Working Group to outline the concerns, desired corrections, barriers, and solutions under consideration. The final report is scheduled to conclude by Sept 15, 2014 at which time recommendations will be forwarded to the legislature and agencies.

Final SJ-15 Report Evaluating Federal Land Management was completed Sept 2014 and approved with strong bi-partsian support.

Although the SJ-15 working group considered a variety of solutions, one of the more comprehensive ideas presented to the legislature's Environmental Quality Council (EQC) is transferring federally managed public lands to the state. The leading expert on this subject, Rep Ken Ivory of Utah, was a guest speaker at the Montana State Capitol on 1/8/14. You can view Audio and Video of the EQC's Official SJ-15 Status Report and Panel Discussion (index item 15 at approximately the 4:05:00 hour mark).This hearing included a diverse panel who debated federal land issues and transfer of lands to the state, as well as public testimony from numerous citizens and county commissioners who attended the hearing.

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