On the 50th Earth Day, Montana Republicans Have No Cause for Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020
CONTACT
press@montanademocrats.org
On the 50th Earth Day, Montana Republicans Have No Cause for Celebration
Greg Gianforte, Steve Daines, and Matt Rosendale have sold out public lands, abandoned clean air and water
Helena, MT – Today marks the 50th Earth Day, the anniversary of the modern conservation movement. Stewardship and enjoyment of Montana’s public lands are core values of the Montana way of life, and we are grateful for all those who have worked to protect and maintain our pristine outdoor heritage. Now more than ever, we are called upon to be responsible stewards of our planet, and ensure that Montana’s natural beauty remains for the following generations to enjoy.
Meanwhile, Montana Republicans have seized upon every opportunity to sell off our public lands and restrict access for those who enjoy them most.
Greg Gianforte, together with other wealthy out-of-state interests, has been an opponent of public lands access ever since he moved to the state. Gianforte has supported opening up some of our most precious public lands for drilling and mining, and he even went so far as to sue the state of Montana to block access to a local fishing hole near one of his several properties.
In Congress, Steve Daines sponsored legislation with Greg Gianforte to strip Wilderness Study Area designations from hundreds of thousands of acres. When met with opposition from conservation activists, Daines ran away. Daines’ and Gianforte’s position is way out of touch with Montanans’ – a recent University of Montana poll showed that 75% of Montanans – including majorities of Democrats and Republicans – support increasing or keeping current wilderness study area protections.
Montanans can’t trust Matt Rosendale to protect our public lands either. Rosendale supports the transfer of federal lands, a move which would open the door for greater privatization and resource extraction on our public lands. Almost 90% of Montanans agree that public lands help our economy, yet Maryland Matt is dead set on selling off the most beautiful features of our state to private developers.
“On this Earth Day, Montana Democrats reaffirm our commitment to keeping our public lands in public hands. Montana is the Last Best Place for a reason, despite Republicans’ best efforts to sabotage our lands and waterways,” said MDP Executive Director Sandi Luckey. “We’ll continue our work to defeat public land opponents like Greg Gianforte, Steve Daines, and Matt Rosendale this November, so our children can enjoy all that our state has to offer for many Earth Days to come.”
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