Dear Editor: HJ24 Not a Good Fit For Montana

Dear Editor,

At times, the Montana Legislative body is out of touch with the citizens of Montana. HJ24 does not reflect public opinion concerning public lands and waterways, as the bill purports. The bill supports Utah politicians' failed lawsuit seeking to find that federal public land ownership in Utah is unconstitutional. The courts have found that Federal public land ownership is constitutionally legal.

Whether you're a MAGA, liberal, conservative, or moderate, most Montanans value our multi-use public lands and waterways. It is one of the few issues most of us can agree on. The legislature wasted their time and our tax dollars catering to the wants and needs of out-of-state interests. Time and money would have been better spent on legislation that promotes public lands and access to those lands. For example, since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently found that corner crossing is legal, a bill codifying corner crossing as legal in Montana would have been more appropriate.

In my view, HJ24 is setting up the groundwork for future public land sell-offs to select private sector individuals and entities, in which average Montanans would be excluded. HJ24 is a lose-lose scenario for the average Montanan.

In conclusion, if I were Representative Bertoglio, Representative Walsh, Senator Beard, or Senator Tezak and deciding to vote on whether or not to advance this bill, I would weigh whether or not this bill would make life better for all Montanans. It decidedly would not make life better for all of us. What may be right for Utah and other states is not necessarily a good fit for Montana. HJ24 is certainly not a good fit for Montana.

DON LEPINSKY

Whitehall, Montana