Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act--Motion

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, Montanans want to access and enjoy our State's public lands, and for a very good reason. Nothing beats our way of life in Montana--our hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, backpacking, climbing, all with a backdrop of breathtaking views and a very rich history of conservation. That is why Congressman Gianforte and I introduced the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act.

Our bill protects our pristine natural resources while also ensuring that Montanans are able to recreate in U.S. Forest Service lands that are not wilderness, but they have been locked up in regulatory limbo for decades. Congressman Gianforte's second bill deals with similarly locked-up Bureau of Land Management lands.

Here is what the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act does. It ensures public access to land within five wilderness study areas across Montana. They are also called WSAs. While there are thousands more acres of public land that are still in limbo, I put these five WSAs in my bill for two simple reasons. First, the Forest Service determined that these lands were not suitable for wilderness in their final plan. In fact, that was a charge given by Congress in 1977. They said: Go out and study these Forest Service lands and tell us which acres are suitable for wilderness and which are not.

The acreages I am proposing we should release are those that were deemed not suitable for wilderness in the final plan by the Forest Service.

Second, there is strong local support for unlocking these lands from the grassroots up, including the Montana State Legislature, countless local community members, and dozens of sportsmen, county commissioners, and wildlife groups, including the Western Montana Fish & Game Association and the Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.

Unlocking these lands from a WSA does not--does not--automatically authorize any particular use of the land. It simply opens up and allows for public conversation about how the lands should be used by setting up the planning process for public comment. In fact, protections like the 2001 roadless rule, the Endangered Species Act, and the existing forest and travel management plans remain intact. Do you know what this means? You can't construct a new road, and that would be kept after the release of the WSAs.

This has been a bottom-up approach from the get-go, and here is the bottom line. Montana's public lands are meant for everyone. They are meant for people who like to recreate in many different ways--for those who love to hike, of course, but also folks who enjoy recreating with mountain bikes, hunting, snowmobiling, and riding ATVs.

Creating access to our public lands is critical to Montana's jobs and our $7 billion outdoor economy. In fact, communities in Montana understand this is an important local economic driver that will strengthen local economies that depend on outdoor jobs. In fact, just recently, the Bureau of Economic Analysis agreed. They said that outdoor recreation generates $373 billion of the GDP across our country, mostly from motorized vehicles, boating, fishing, hunting, and shooting. Our bill will help Montanans recreate with all of these uses by unlocking our public lands.

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