Anxious to hear a summary of the conversation. Over under on wolf lover comments during the questions portion of the event?
Amazingly, not a single question about wolves.
The discussion was a lot about public lands and the economic value they provide. Also, about energy issues and tribal issues (DOI oversees BIA).
Some of the questions were about some supposed water theft idea to give Las Vegas the water from the Missouri River. I had never heard of that one and neither had the Secretary or the Senator.
Another question was how could DOI stop the Tribes from developing their coal resources, as it creates more train traffic and more coal dust in Bozeman.
Really? Someone thinks the tribes should continue to sit on billions of tons of coal and not be able to participate in the coal industry, because some dude in Bozeman is concerned about the miniscule amount of coal the tribes will add to the huge coal market. Obviously, he has never lived near a reservation and seen how starved they are for any sort of economic development. But, so long as his Prius is not exposed to any coal dust, tribes be damned. Where is Soupy Sales and his Gong when you need him?
Another question was about allowing boat traffic in National Parks.
A person from the Montana Association of Conservation Districts wanted to know if Montana would be the place for any new National Monuments in the foreseeable future. The person was assured that at this time none are being considered and none would be considered without support from the Montana Congressional Delegation.
Secretary Jewel comes across as very intelligent and very informed. Considering the Department of Interior has the BLM, USFWS, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and who know has many other divisions, it was interesting to see how much she understood about the issues facing all of those Governmental units.
It will be helpful for the Secretary to hear from hunters and their concerns about public access, tomorrow. This will be a very small group with face-to-face discussions on the topic. I suspect her staff will have a long list of things to think about after that meeting.
