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

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