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Carter County adopts resolutions on state lobbying bill and moves to engage BLM on Snowy River CO2 project
Summary
The commission adopted a resolution opposing SB254 (which would restrict local-government associations’ advocacy) and approved a separate resolution and letter to the BLM seeking a cooperative agreement and to flag procedural concerns in the Snowy River CO2 environmental assessment; the county also authorized a contract with Landmark Resource Firm (Nathan Deschbacher) to assist with BLM and public-lands work.
Carter County commissioners voted to adopt two politically and procedurally consequential items: a resolution opposing legislation to limit county associations’ lobbying, and a resolution and letter to the Bureau of Land Management seeking a cooperative agreement and raising procedural questions about the Snowy River CO2 sequestration project’s environmental assessment.
On the legislative matter, the board reviewed a sample resolution from the Montana Association of Counties (MACo) and discussed Senate Bill 254 (SB254), which proponents have described as limiting statewide associations’ ability to advocate at the legislature. The board voted to adopt resolution O2102025-01 opposing any limits on MACo’s ability to represent member counties at the legislature.
On public lands, the board heard a remote briefing from Nathan Deschbacher, a land-use consultant. Nathan said the Miles City field office’s EA for the Snowy River CO2 injection project explicitly cites Executive Order 1408 (the 2050 net-zero objectives) as a connected policy driver. He noted a recent Secretarial Order (No. 3418) that directs DOI assistant secretaries to terminate actions that implement revoked executive orders and suggested the county could submit a focused letter to the Miles City BLM office flagging that the EA relied on policy directives that have been rescinded.
Nathan offered to draft a concise 1–3 page letter (he estimated about 10 hours of work) documenting the nexus among the EA references, the rescinded executive orders and Secretarial Order 3418; commissioners agreed and asked him to proceed. The board also moved to enter into an agreement with Landmark Resource Firm (the consultant’s firm) to assist the county with BLM cooperative-agreement work and related drafting; the motion to enter the GRAMA/contract was seconded and carried.
The resolution and letter to the BLM will be signed and transmitted; Nathan will circulate a draft letter to commissioners and the county attorney for review before submission to the BLM Miles City field office.
