When it comes to public lands in Montana, Tim Sheehy has a lot to learn. He is in favor of “keeping public lands in public hands,” but what he really means is he would like to transfer federal lands to the state. He also states “Local control has to be returned…,”; however, the state of Montana lands originally came from a federal land grant.
But how does management compare? Agriculture, including grazing, is a major driver of Montana’s economy. Under today’s grazing fee schedule, a hypothetical permit for 500 head of cattle, for example, for 5 months, would cost $3,375 for federal BLM public land and $41,325 for the same number of AUMs (cow & calf per month) on state public land. The annual increase in cost statewide of doing business would be approximately $19,026,000. Agricultural commodity prices have been good in recent years but often fluctuate dramatically, while annual operating costs keep rising on a linear basis.
Grazing permits are not the whole picture; wildfire suppression costs on BLM public lands would be financially burdensome for the state and reclamation of abandoned mines wouldn’t happen. The lands would need to be sold, as western states have done over the years. On a market bidding basis, who would be the likely buyers?
We can expect Tim Sheehy to respond to public lands issues based on directives from political operatives. We can trust Jon Tester to act independently and in the best interests of Montanans.
