2003 Montana Legislature

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19

INTRODUCED BY A. CURTISS

 

A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING CONGRESS TO ACHIEVE RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY BY PROMOTING THE MULTIPLE-USE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT AND TO RELEASE WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS FOR MULTIPLE-USE MANAGEMENT.

 

     WHEREAS, Congress in 1977 enacted Public Law 95-150, which set aside approximately 1 million acres of public land to be studied primarily for its potential for wilderness designation; and

     WHEREAS, national forest lands are becoming defacto wilderness in lieu of congressional decisionmaking; and

     WHEREAS, uncertainty and wide swings in Executive Branch philosophy regarding the administration of these lands is costing the public millions of dollars as forest assets burn and deteriorate and as investments in forest road construction and improvements are being deliberately destroyed; and

     WHEREAS, administrative decisions and preservationist lawsuits have progressively reduced access to public lands for forest managers and the public; and

     WHEREAS, the federal concept of ecosystem management results in no management of public forests on a sustainable basis; and

     WHEREAS, the long-term sustainability of public lands depends on good stewardship and professional scientific site-specific management of forest resources; and

     WHEREAS, Montana's historic heritage, customs, and culture are linked to the proper stewardship and use of our natural resources; and

     WHEREAS, Montana's economy has been severely impacted by recent management policies, resulting in the closure of 19 sawmills since 1990 and causing the loss of over 1,900 primary industry jobs and over $50 million in wages; and

     WHEREAS, restrictions resulting from preservationist lawsuits and other federal regulatory actions have devastated Montana's mining, oil, and gas industries; and

     WHEREAS, restrictions resulting from preservationist lawsuits and other federal regulatory actions have made farming and ranching in Montana more difficult; and

     WHEREAS, Montana's citizens are being deprived of jobs and a better quality of life as per capita income has plummeted.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

     That the Legislature support scientific adaptive management to implement the multiple-use concept of public land use as mandated by the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960, to ensure the protection and improvement of forest health, and to maintain and improve the sustainabilty of federal forests.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Congress release all wilderness study areas and implement the concept of multiple use in order to fulfill the federal mandate as required by the Forest Management Act of 1897 to manage the national forests to "improve and protect the forest within the reservation, or for the purpose of securing favorable conditions of water flows, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States".

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to the Governor of Montana, the Montana Congressional Delegation, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, and the Chief of the United States Forest Service.

- END -

 


Latest Version of SJ 19 (SJ0019.01)
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