Montana’s Public Lands at Risk: New Report Highlights Costs of Federal Land Transfer
In a revealing new report, former Montana natural resources manager John Tubbs warns that transferring federal lands to state control could impose crippling financial burdens on the state. Covering nearly a third of Montana’s 30 million acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Tubbs describes the potential costs as “staggering,” projecting an $8 billion impact on Montana’s economy.
The report, supported by various conservation organizations, stresses that managing public lands at the state level would require extensive expenditure for wildfire operations, deferred maintenance, and abandoned mine reclamation. Over the past two decades, Montana has incurred $2.3 billion in wildfire mitigation costs on federal lands. With a federal transfer, state residents would shoulder an estimated $5.5 billion in future wildfire suppression costs—a daunting prospect for rural communities.
Moreover, Tubbs emphasized the importance of essential federal funding, such as the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which allocates more than $40 million annually to Montana counties, and helps sustain local public services. He cautioned that losing this financial support could lead to severe fiscal consequences, including the potential bankruptcy of several counties.
The debate surrounding federal land ownership has ignited passionate discussions at both the state and national levels, especially following recent Senate actions regarding public land sales to tackle federal debt. Tubbs and others argue that public lands represent critical cultural and recreational resources for Montanans. Opposition to land transfer has been bolstered by polls showing significant support for conservation.
In a legislative showdown earlier this month, a resolution advocating for Utah’s call to transfer federal lands was met with bipartisan rejection in Montana, demonstrating the state’s commitment to preserving public lands. As this discussion unfolds, Montana lawmakers are grappling with the balance between federal oversight and state management of these treasured landscapes.
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