Land Bill Agreement A Talking Point In Montana

News releases sent out cited the Montana Lands Bill Agreement as historic. The announcement came Dec. 3 and caused some confusion as it was included in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. John Walsh and U.S. Rep. Steve Daines all stood by the legislative package that included eight Montana-based lands and resource bills. While that agreement doesn't seem to have any direct impact on Eastern Montanans, information is still being released on the agreement.

The package included changes in the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, which would release 14,000 acres of wilderness study areas in Southeastern Montana and would require a new assessment of oil and gas potential in Bridge Coulee and Musselshell Breaks Wilderness Study Areas.

Other acts impacted were the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, the Northern Cheyenne Lands Act, the Cabin Fee Act, the East Bench Irrigation District Act, the Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity Jobs Act, the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Act and the Grazing Improvement Act. The Grazing Improvement Act has extended the life of grazing permits on federal lands from 10 to 20 years on federal lands.

The act had Tester offering a round robin conference call for Montana media recently. Reporters from across the state addressed the land agreement, future legislation, the highway bill and other local issues. The Courier refrained from asking about the land bill agreement without more information, but did ask about upcoming infrastructure issues in Eastern Montana and if law enforcement and emergency services might be included.

Tester said that infrastructure was becoming an increasing problem and that China is spending far more on infrastructure per GPD than we do domestically. He said that the nation needs to refocus on highways, bridges, oil lines and other structures that will help in the long run. He said that law enforcement and emergency services should be included and that there's room for creative thinking.

With the land bill agreement passed in a national defense act, it may be safe to say that they are looking at creative ways to pass legislation.