Downing joins as one of 14 inaugural members of new congressional coalition
By Micah Drew DAILY MONTANAN
Montana U.S. Rep Ryan Zinke, a Republican, joined with Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-NewMexico, to launch a new bipartisan congressional coalition focused on conserving America’s public lands and expanding access to natural resources for all Americans.
At a press conference in Washington D.C. last week, Zinke announced the launch of the Public Lands Caucus, which he will co-chair with Vazquez, comprising 14 members of the U.S. House representing districts across country, but heavily centered in the West.
“Our public lands is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. It’s an American issue, and we should use it in that context of being red, white and blue,” Zinke said during the press conference announcing the caucus’ formation. “It’s important that we talk about better management to preserve and defend why we live in the West and why America’s greatest idea should be preserved and defended.”
Zinke was the former Secretary of the Interior during Donald Trump’s first administration before resigning amid a series of ethics investigations.
The caucus’ goal is to bring lawmakers together to advance “practical, consensus-driven public lands policy that conserves national resources while supporting recreation, local economies and public access,” according to a press release from Zinke’s office.
“Make no mistake, our public lands are this nation’s great equalizer. On the water, on the land or in the back country, we all benefit equally from the foundations laid by great conservation leaders like Aldo Leopold and Teddy Roosevelt,” Vasquez said during the press conference. “Public lands and public access to our forests, rivers, grasslands and deserts are a unique American experience that we must continue to fight for and that we cannot take for granted. They also help support a multi billion dollar industry, an outdoor recreation that powers rural communities, connects Americans to their history and to their heritage, and allows us to pass on our traditions to the next generation.”
In addition to the two founding caucus chairs, the Public Lands Caucus includes representatives from Michigan, Idaho, California, North Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and Montana.
Rep. Troy Downing, a freshman congressman representing Montana’s eastern district, told reporters at the press event that “100%” of Montana’s representatives supported the idea. Downing referenced his time serving on the Montana Land Board while he was the State Auditor, a five-member board that managed 5.5 million acres of state land, where he helped manage lands by “sustained yield,” to preserve them for generations.
“In Montana, public lands, public land access, hiking, hunting, fishing are incredibly important to us. You could say it’s in our veins, making sure that we are being stewards of these incredible assets,” Downing said. “But that’s not just Montana. That’s not just the western states. It’s not a partisan issue. I don’t care what side of the aisle you come from, or if you come from neither side of the aisle. You care about this. You understand.”
Many conservation-focused groups expressed their support of the new coalition, including Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Western Landowners Alliance.
Public lands have become a political flashpoint in recent months as the Trump administration has promoted the idea that federal lands are part of the nation’s “balance sheet” and could be utilized to help pay off the national debt.
In early April, when the U.S. Senate passed its federal budget, Montana’s two Republican Senators, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, bucked their party in a vote for an amendment which would have prevented the sale of public lands to lower the federal deficit, though the amendment failed 49-51.
Showing that all of Montana’s congressional delegation shares a similar idea on keeping public lands public, Zinke reintroduced his “Public Lands in Public Hands Act,” earlier this year with Vasquez, a bill which would ban the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest service from selling or transferring “most public land,” except in specific circumstances.
And in Helena, a resolution which would have supported a Utah lawsuit against the federal government seeking to transfer federal land to the state, was defeated in the Legislature on a 33-66 vote.
But the issue continues to gain traction.
Late Tuesday night, the day before Zinke announced the launch of the new caucus, House Republicans on the Natural Resource Committee approved an amendment that authorizes the sale of thousands of acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah.
The proposed sales and exchanges are part of a large budget reconciliation bill that will require a vote before the full House.
The lands involved are almost all near the urban areas of Las Vegas, Reno and St. George, Utah, and appear aimed at allowing for affordable housing developments on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land.
The move has drawn opposition from Democrats and conservation groups.
Tracy Stone-Manning, a Montanan who used to lead the BLM under the Biden administration and is now president of the Wilderness Society, told NPR that the move was the start of a bigger push to transfer federal lands.
“Congress is considering selling off our public lands to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy,” Stone-Manning said. “What we’re seeing from this administration is no balance at all.”
During the Public Lands Caucus press conference, reporters asked Zinke about the committee actions, and Zinke responded, according to Politico, by saying he would make it clear to House leadership that he opposed the idea.
“I strongly don’t believe (land sales) should be in the reconciliation bill,” Zinke said, though he did not explicitly say that he would oppose the entire reconciliation package as it stands.
