FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2025

Montanans criticize Senate bill for threatening public lands

Proposed policies undermine decades of bipartisan conservation work in Montana

(HELENA, Mont.) — The Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund this week issued the following statement from Interim Executive Director Renee Kelley criticizing the Senate’s version of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” for including provisions that would allow the sale of public lands, undermining decades of bipartisan conservation work in Montana and across the West: 

“Senator Daines is either naive or deliberately misleading if he believes a one-state exemption offers any real protection from the growing attacks on public lands across the West. This is not just a Montana issue. Public lands are essential to our local economies, our way of life, and our national legacy. Every acre deserves lasting protection, not piecemeal political carveouts that leave the rest of the West on the chopping block.

Montanans have been clear: Our public lands are not for sale. Slipping sell-offs into federal legislation as a bargaining chip is a slap in the face to rural communities, outdoor enthusiasts, and working lands families who have fought to keep public lands in public hands.”