Tester releases Montana wilderness bill

Flanked by representatives from the state's timber industry, wilderness groups, backcountry enthusiasts and motorized off-road-vehicle groups, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., on Friday unveiled a broad piece of legislation aimed at saving timber jobs and increasing wilderness acreage in the state. The measure, dubbed the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act of 2009, designates more than 660,000 acres of new wilderness in Montana, while mandating the logging of 100,000 acres on public forests over a 10-year period. Proponents of the 84-page bill hailed the measure as the product of years of collaboration between often disparate groups of stakeholders. They say the bill will save jobs in timber communities while permanently protecting wilderness and increasing recreational opportunities. However, not all conservationists are enthusiastic about the plan. Some wilderness advocates say the bill gives up too much public land for timber harvesting, road building and off-road vehicle use in exchange for too little wilderness designation. The measure also is being attacked from the other side. The Montana Multiple Use Association blasted it as the product of closed-door negotiations by special-interest groups, adding it ignores mining and other interests. However, Tester said the measure is critical to saving Montana's wood-products industry while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire...GreatFallsTribune