In this episode, I speak with Ryan Busse, Democratic congressional candidate running in MT-01. He is currently projected to win the upcoming primary election in early June. On public lands issues in Congress, Ryan argues calls and letters aren’t enough without electoral change, citing the example of the recent vote on the Boundary Waters, and lays out his case as to why he’ll be a strong fighter for public lands in Washington for all Americans. We discuss “collaborative conservation” and Montana public-lands bills that protect limited wilderness acres at the expense of vast swaths of roadless forests. We discuss Montana’s logging past, new economies, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, restoration jobs, and a wildfire approach focused on home hardening and defensible space rather than backcountry logging.
https://busseformontana.com
00:34 Guest Intro
03:36 Campaign Life on the Road
05:17 Boundary Waters Disaster
08:10 Public Lands Laws
09:40 Zinke and Daines Exit
11:57 Hunting Season Sacrifices
12:56 Public Lands Campaign Plan
15:28 Why Elect True Advocates?
17:24 Busse’s Conservation Resume
19:13 Democratic Opponents
21:20 Public Lands for All Americans
23:23 Polls and Montana’s Stakes
25:17 Public Lands on the Ballot
25:59 Collaborative Conservation
27:43 Why Collaboration Fails
29:31 Montana’s Collaborative Bills
32:45 Roadless Habitat
35:43 NREPA and Restoration Jobs
37:30 Wild Places Drive the Economy
41:30 Lumber Mill Automation and Jobs
43:42 Wildfire Science and Home Hardening
48:09 Election Stakes
