Missoula forum warns House bill and related moves would roll back protections and strain public‑land management

Panelists at a public forum organized by Missoula Resists in Missoula said recent federal proposals and agency actions threaten public‑land protections, regional economies and the agencies that manage parks, forests and wildlife habitat.

"Missoula Resists is an organization that's community led in Missoula," the event organizer said, opening the meeting and noting the discussion was scheduled quickly after House action on H.R. 1 was postponed to July 4. The panel included former candidates, conservation leaders and local advocates who laid out policy changes they say are embedded in the package of bills and executive actions now under debate in Washington.

Panelists focused on three linked concerns: a land‑sale provision championed by Sen. Mike Lee in the Senate and earlier House language they said would make federal acres eligible for sale; carve‑outs that would allow large corporations to bypass routine environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act; and agency staffing and funding cuts that panelists said are already reducing on‑the‑ground services.

Monica Tranel, an attorney and public‑lands advocate on the panel, said the changes are personal for many people who work on federal lands. "This is personal," Tranel said.…