Good afternoon, Beacon readers! Mariah Thomas here with your Daily Roundup.
This week has been a busy one, as congress members, Trump administration officials, D.C. staffers and other stakeholders converged in the Flathead Valley for the Western Caucus Policy Summit.
Hosted by the Western Caucus Foundation, the event touched on several hot topics and policy issues, from the Endangered Species Act to the relationship between states and the federal government when it comes to land management. It featured several high-profile Montanans like Rep. Ryan Zinke, Glacier National Park Superintendent David Roemer (pictured below) and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Director Christy Clark.
It also attracted pushback from demonstrators concerned about the Trump administration’s restructure of the National Park Service, which resulted in a loss of a quarter of permanent staff.
I attended two days’ worth of panel discussions on various policies, while Managing Editor Tristan Scott talked to rally-goers. We’ve got a lot of great coverage from the past couple days, which you can find linked at the bottom of this newsletter.
The keynote for the event came from the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Tom Schultz. Schultz’s keynote spanned several issues, but among his major points was the importance of keeping industry at home.
“America should mine, mill and manufacture more of what it needs right here at home,” Schultz said. “Our priorities are clear.”
Those priorities: multiple-use management, increased timber production and aggressive response to wildfire.
In his comments, which took place at the Lodge on Whitefish Lake Tuesday, Schultz homed in on the local history of Whitefish as a logging community where “mining and timber interest in the industries were strong.”
But, he said, Montana has lost several mills, which in turn, limits the Forest Service’s management abilities.
To bring industry back, he said, investors need to see certainty. And in his estimation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which passed back in July — provided just that, at least for those in the timber industry.
Baked into that legislation was a requirement for the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Forest Service chief, to enter into “not fewer than 40 long-term timber sale contracts with private persons or other public or private entities.” Those contracts must be at least 20 years in length. The legislation also requires that the amount of timber sold must increase by at least 250,000,000 board-feet each fiscal year from 2026-2034.
Environmental groups have decried the legislation’s impact, arguing it won’t help reduce wildfire risk and could undermine the Roadless Rule. But Schultz applauded the legislation and what he sees as its positive signal to the private sector in his Tuesday comments.
“It’s a significant investment, and we talk about the lack of infrastructure, and when you see a mill go away, it is really tough to bring that mill back,” he said. “So, we need to hang on to what we have and continue to develop that and encourage other investments.”
Schultz’s speech also touched on the agency’s intention to undo the Roadless Rule, his agency’s intent to take an aggressive approach to wildfire suppression and on how DOGE’s effort to cut back federal agencies’ staffs didn’t have as pronounced an impact as the Trump administration’s initial proposal.
For more coverage on the summit, just keep scrolling through today’s newsletter.
FWP Director Says Montana is ‘Ready’ to Delist the Grizzly During Panel Discussion at Western Caucus Policy Summit
The Flathead Valley is hosting a slew of congressional members, Trump administration officials and interested parties as part of the annual policy summit, which features field tours, panel discussions and briefings for the attendees.
In Glacier, Demonstrators Greet Congressional Western Caucus with ‘Protect Our Parks’ Rally
GOP leaders attending the Western Caucus Policy Summit on the shore of Lake McDonald on Wednesday were shuttled past throngs of demonstrators who oppose the Trump administration’s initiatives to reshape the National Park Service
Zinke, Fellow Congress Members Suggest Giving States More Agency in Land and Natural Resource Management
Their comments put an exclamation point on a theme that emerged across the Western Policy Caucus Summit, an event attended by congress members, staffers and interested parties that met in the Flathead Valley this week
Julie Laing’s newest creation: a grilled tomatillo margarita — YUM. Check out her latest blog here.
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