Montana’s Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, is asking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) not to modify the grazing change of use permit proposal for the American Prairie Reserve (APR).
Commenting on the BLM’s draft finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and draft environmental assessment (EA), Knudsen spelled out multiple legal issues with BLM’s inadequate review process and APR’s proposal itself.
“Whatever motives APR may harbor, and whatever donors APR may serve, its interests in this change of use permit request run afoul of clear statutory and regulatory guidelines,” Knudsen wrote in his comments. “BLM should scrap the draft FONSI and EA and conduct a more thorough review for the benefit of Montanans and the affected communities.”
Knudsen stated the permit is contrary to the Taylor Grazing Act. APR seeks to change bison to wildlife, not livestock, and “Putting them in a made-up and legally meaningless ‘indigenous livestock’ category undermines the law, hurts the local agricultural economy, and defies logic,” the statement said.
Knudsen further wrote that BLM failed to consider local interests and impacts to local communities of the state as required by law. According to Knudsen, the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to consider the full scope of a proposed action to determine whether it will have a significant impact.
“My concerns regarding APR’s ‘vision’ to transform Northeast Montana into a wildlife viewing shed for out-of-staters at the expense of local communities, local families, and local agricultural producers only grew more pronounced after hearing from over 250 Montanans directly,” Knudsen wrote.
“My office will vigorously protect the lawful interests of Montana families and agricultural producers. It does not work for Montana to have BLM rubber-stamp a radical proposal aimed at fundamentally transforming Northeastern Montana.”
Comments ended on Sept. 28, and a final EA and FONSI will be produced and released in the near future. BLM will then issue a grazing decision. All grazing decisions are subject to a 15-day protest and 30-day appeal period. —Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
