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Long, divided hearing on SJ 14 over releasing wilderness study areas draws scores of witnesses
Summary
A lengthy, sometimes contentious hearing on SJ 14 filled the committee room as ranchers, conservationists, tribal representatives and county officials debated whether Montana should ask Congress to release Wilderness Study Areas designated in 1977.
The Senate Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee heard hours of public testimony and policy arguments over Senate Joint Resolution 14, a proposal asking Congress to release designated Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) and certain inventory roadless areas from their study status so those lands would be managed under multiple-use authorities.
Sponsor and proponents: Senator Tony Tzak, sponsor of SJ 14, told the committee that the lands designated for study in 1977 have “been in limbo” for decades and that release would return management decisions to local BLM and Forest Service districts and the National Environmental Policy Act process. Proponents — including ranchers, county commissioners, the Rocky Mountain Stock Growers Association, Citizens for Balanced Use, and several local collaboratives — argued the…
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