Montanans, and visitors from around the world, enjoy the unparalleled grandeur of our public lands. We are blessed with a golden goose in our backyard that continues to lay golden eggs that provide us with a clean environment, a strong diversified economy, and the best outdoor recreational opportunities to be found.

Properly stewarded, our public lands will continue to provide for generations to come. But a dangerous predator has just been installed, and he is wielding a large, sharp ax. William Perry Pendley, a longtime vocal enemy of public lands, was recently appointed acting director of the Bureau of Land Management by Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt.

Montana’s outdoor recreation industry generates $7 billion annually, and supports more than 70,000 Montana jobs. A career public lands manager, I know that balancing this complex system of lands sustainably requires an open mind, level-headed perspective, and the ability to bring diverse stakeholders together to create solutions.

Unfortunately, Pendley does not possess these qualities. Incredibly, our junior senator, Steve Daines, has utterly failed to recognize the danger posed by Pendley, even stating that Montanan’s concerns are “overblown.”

Seriously, senator? Montana’s golden goose has her neck under Pendley’s ax, threatening our economy and way of life. Time to speak up Senator Daines: William Perry Pendley is a terrible choice for Montana and America’s public land system.

Thank you,
Rick Potts

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