It appears that the oil and gas industry can’t get their talking points straight about the energy potential of all the public wild lands they’re after. On one hand, when asked how much oil and natural gas a coveted area holds, industry lobbyists make bold predictions about abundant supply.  But once industry actually has access to public land the prospects dim considerably. 

One of our biggest priorities at The Wilderness Society this fall is pressing Congress to pass more than 20 wilderness and wildlands bills that await action before a new Congress is sworn in next year.

These new wildlands protections will ensure that amazing iconic American lands in 12 different states are forever preserved, but one challenge in ensuring their passage is dispelling the all too common misperception that wilderness protection locks up resources.

A troubling recent report from the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) claims that private forestland contributes more to state economies than public land. NAFO draws this conclusion by ignoring most of the diverse economic values derived from public forestland.

For Montana, the NAFO report claims that each acre of private forestland adds $570 to annual gross domestic product compared to $190 for a public acre. The NAFO claim should be troubling to Montanans because of the high profile Montana Legacy Project.

Yesterday, The Wilderness Society celebrated a small but meaningful victory in our ongoing efforts to protect America’s largest national forest — the Tongass National Forest.

As an environmental economist for The Wilderness Society’s Northern Rockies Regional office, I am confident that rural western states are not immune from the financial mess in which the rest of the country finds itself.