John,
I want to tell you a story about a ranching family I know. For years, this ranching family worked with the State of Montana to put their ranch into a conservation easement. They wanted to do the right thing and protect these lands and habitat from being sold off or subdivided.
We, the public, could use the ranch to hunt, fish, and recreate. Tens of thousands of acres of open spaces would be protected--forever.
Then our Attorney General tried to stop it all. Caving to special interests, he wrote an opinion that would block the Habitat Montana program that helps ranch and farm families obtain conservation easements and open up public access to Montanans.
It wasn't right. So, working with Governor Bullock, we sued the Attorney General. We took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. I argued it. When I stood before the justices, I thought about all the families this program had helped and how much of our state it protected.
We won, decisively. By a vote of 6-1, the Supreme Court stopped the Attorney General and saved the program. You can hunt, fish, and camp on those lands today.
Lots of politicians talk about public lands. As an advocate, I've done more than just talk.
These lands make Montana special. They're worth fighting for. So are the families that work them, and want to make them available to the public, protected, forever.
This case is one of the reasons I got into this race. We need an Attorney General who works for the public, not against it. Who wants to protect our public lands and rural communities, not sell them out to special interests.
If you agree that we need change in the Attorney General's office, join our campaign as a grassroots contributor before our deadline on Monday.
Happy National Public Lands Day!
-Raph
|
|
