John,
Last week, the Fish and Wildlife Commission endorsed nine proposals to expand Montana’s public lands by 2,800 acres, and conservation easements to open up almost 180,610 acres of public access.
These important projects open up access for hunting, fishing, and recreation on our public lands.
But just last year, the Attorney General tried to make it harder for Montana to create new public access.
On behalf of my client, Governor Bullock, we took the AG to court and won.
The current Attorney General issued an opinion last October tying the hands of our Fish and Wildlife Commission and put a Republican-controlled Land Board in charge. This would’ve allowed the Land Board to vote down any conservation projects it pleased.
We asked the Montana Supreme Court to overturn it. We went to court to fight for public access, sportsmen and women, and our Montana way of life. And we won.
This was the right thing to do for Montanans, but it also highlights how our current Attorney General is not working for us.
Our Attorney General should go to court to fight for public access, not block it.
Our Attorney General should stand up for Montana sportsmen and women, not stand in their way.
And our Attorney General should work for us on the Land Board, not for out-of state interests who want to sell off our public lands or limit new public access.
There is a clear choice in this race: We can have an Attorney General who works for us again, who fights for our public access in court and on the Land Board. Or, we can have more of the same lip service like the past 8 years.
I’m running for Attorney General to be your lawyer. To defend your public lands and access to them. I will never settle for anything less.
Sincerely,
-Raph Graybill
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