by Christin Rzasa, Stevensville
I’m alarmed by Senator Daines’ decision to charge forward with his latest bill to eliminate wilderness study area protections. Just 6% of Montanans actually want this bill, according to a poll conducted by the University of Montana. Daines has hardly ever lined up his public lands policy with his rhetoric. This bill would strip protections from over 100,000 acres of public lands, and he’s championed it against the overwhelming objections of Montanans. Several years ago, Daines promised the Montana State Legislature he’d support honest and open collaboration to decide the future of these areas, but he hasn’t followed through on this commitment. It’s incredibly disappointing. While he likes to pay lip service to the importance of locally driven solutions, Daines has ignored locals’ hard work, preferring to listen to a small sliver of special interest groups. It’s time for Senator Daines to engage in open and honest dialogue with us. We want him to address our concerns regarding his Washington bill. It’s time for Daines to engage in an honest public discussion with actual Montanans (not just corporate and extractive industry representatives) about how to manage our wilderness study areas for the good of all Montanans.
Daines claims to “represent” Montanans but he’s not listening to the majority of us. How nice would it be to be represented by a politician who actually listens to his constituents instead of just pretending to, while he accedes to the desires of big corporations and their lobbyists who fund his campaign for re-election.