Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Editorial: Tester’s FJRA good for Montana, worthy of passage

Bozeman Daily Chronicle Editorial:

First-term Rep. Steve Daines, the state’s only delegate to the House, is strongly urged to support the measure in this new Congress. With his backing, the bill could become law.

Deadlocks over the disposition of Montana’s public lands have prevented any significant action for decades. The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act deals with just two national forests. But as a product of compromise, the bill could serve as a template for the resolution of land management disputes throughout the state.

Ideologues on both sides of this issue need to realize that arguments aren’t won on the ends. They are won in the middle ground where compromise takes shape among independent-thinking voters. And that segment of the electorate is becoming increasingly disgusted with obstructionists.

We elect our leaders do accomplish things, not prevent things from getting done. And the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act is something worth doing.