" When we scrutinize these assertions against the history of
public land and state land management in Western states,
their claims do not match up to the facts. "

EMWH Gift Items
Montana is blessed with a wide variety of skilled residents, some of which in one way or another, express their love for the beauty and abundance of this land through various arts or services. We are also blessed that some of these supporters have contributed their skills and services to EMWH, the sales of which go to our Public Trust efforts here in Montana.

Additionally, a conservation friend called the other morning, speaking about all the donation mailing requests that they had received of late from a wide diversity of organizations, with matching offers for contributions received. This Public Trust contributor and supporter made the offer that they would match any contribution EMWH received by the end of December. While not a company or corporation, here it is, an individual willing to match contributions to EMWH for the Public Trust benefit. I am always amazed at the generosity and conservation support here in Montana. If you would like to contribute to EMWH and have that matched, please click for ways to contribute.

 
Public Lands
Ken Ivory and Gov. Herbert are bamboozling you about public lands
"In order to understand the articulate and legal language used by Ken Ivory in his defense of transferring public lands to the state, you have to understand what he is arguing. Ken Ivory believes that the Enabling Act was a compact, whereby both parties were to get and give something, that it was a two way street. This is true, but not the way he is arguing it. He is proposing a legal theory: that the U.S. had a duty to dispose of federal lands. To put another way, he states that the U.S. promised to give the land to the states upon entry into the Union. In today’s world, this sounds legitimate, but when you dig into the history, you see that Ivory is ascribing intentions to historical parties that were never there. In other words, he is rewriting history."

This Land is Your Land: Let’s keep the public in public lands
"A furor is brewing in Wyoming and throughout America’s Intermountain West among a handful of short-sighted politicians who are demanding state ownership and control of vast acres of national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands that are owned by all Americans. They argue that it is unfair for Western states to have wide open public lands within their borders – in spite of the tremendous contributions that these lands make in jobs, economic prosperity, quality of life, clean water, and places to hunt, fish, hike and otherwise enjoy our birthright as Americans. They claim that the states (and private industry) can better manage these lands.

When we scrutinize these assertions against the history of public land and state land management in Western states, their claims do not match up to the facts."

_____________________

Concerns raised over proposed Ten Mile project
A proposed Forest Service timber and prescribed fire project in the Ten Mile drainage could have negative impacts on wildlife, water and the wilderness character of the area, panelists stated at a citizens’ forum Monday evening... PWC is made up of individuals and Helena Hunters and Anglers, the Clancy-Unionville Citizens Task Force, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Wild Divide Chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association.
 
What they didn't tell you about Congress' public lands package
"One component of their package transfers highly valuable coal under my family’s ranch and our neighbors in the Bull Mountains to Great Northern Properties, a land and mineral mega-corporation spun-off from the railroad many years ago, in exchange for other coal in south-eastern Montana. Great Northern Properties gets a windfall by giving up low-quality coal with no infrastructure or mining proposals — coal that will almost certainly never be mined — and gaining high-quality coal next to existing mines with a high likelihood of development...
It’s a blatant example of a rich and powerful corporation writing a law to give itself a massive handout. Our delegation should be better than that. Tester, Walsh, and Daines chose a massive, out-of-state corporation over the livelihoods and property rights of multi-generational Montana ranching families like mine, and they did so at the cost of tens of millions of dollars for Montana roads and schools."
 
Groups file lawsuit against BLM on coal leasing program
" 'More than 80 percent of federal coal comes from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming,' said Bob LeResche, Vice Chair of WORC and rancher from Clearmont, Wyo. 'People living in the Powder River Basin have endured many hardships not predicted in the outdated environmental studies including, lack of access to grazing lands, un-restored groundwater aquifers, toxic emissions from explosions, costly and dangerous railroad traffic in major cities to name a few. A full environmental study will enable the BLM to fulfill their duty to promote environmentally responsible management of public lands in light of climate change on behalf of the citizens of the United States.' "

Energy Developers Use Free Gas from Public Land
"Oil and gas developers are getting a sweet deal for their projects on public land, according to a new report that says taxpayers are losing out as a result.

The group Taxpayers for Common Sense claimed the government isn't collecting sufficient royalties, because current rules don't charge energy companies for the gas they use at drilling sites or for what is lost through the burn-off process known as flaring... According to the report, called 'Burning Money,' from 2006 through 2013, oil and gas companies drilling on federal land either wasted or used gas for free that was worth $380 million."

Taxpayers are losing millions on natural gas extracted from federal land