House advances statewide resource-management plan as keystone for public lands policy

Representative Mike Stratton led floor discussion on House Bill 39, describing the State Resource Management Plan as a keystone for public lands management that aggregates county plans and seeks consistent treatment from federal agencies.

Supporters said the plan formalizes county resource-management inputs into a statewide document, promotes coordination with the Forest Service and BLM under applicable federal consistency rules, and addresses fiscal and legal strategies (including references to PILT and RS 2477). Members repeatedly framed the bill as an effort to direct how public lands are managed and to ensure county needs are represented in federal decision-making.

Questions from members focused on how the plan would be received by federal agencies and how it would address access, historic roads (RS 2477), and water-resource implications. The sponsor said federal statute requires agencies to consider local resource-management plans and described the statewide aggregation as a first-of-its-kind approach that had been received with appreciation by stakeholders.

Representative Stratton summarized the bill as a bipartisan, collaborative product and asked for support. House Bill 39 passed the House by a recorded vote of 70 yes and 0 no and will be transmitted to the Senate.