U.S. SENATE — Today, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Senator Steve Daines’ bipartisan bill that will streamline the permitting process for outfitters and guides to help increase access to public lands and support small businesses.
Watch and download the remarks HERE.
“Because of Montana’s checkerboard land ownership patterns, a guided hunt often will cross into multiple land jurisdictions sometimes in just one day. Since each federal land agency has a separate permitting process, this means that guides and outfitters often have to go through multiple departments and permitting processes all for one trip. This is duplicative and inefficient, costs both agencies and outfitters time and resources, and can even impact user experience and access,” Daines said. “I want to thank Senator Heinrich for his leadership on the bipartisan SOAR Act, which I am proud to cosponsor and aims to streamline the permitting process for outfitters and guides operating on public lands.”
The bipartisan “Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act” (SOAR Act) will streamline the process for issuing special recreation permits for accessing public lands.
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Contact: Katherine McKeogh, Katie Schoettler