A massive public lands package including a ban on new mining claims north of Yellowstone and the renewal of a popular conservation fund has now become law.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed S. 47, a broad legislative package including land designations and more affecting areas across the country. It sailed through the House and Senate with lopsided votes in its favor.
The bill includes two pieces that Montana’s congressional delegation pushed for — the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which would bar new mining claims on 30,000 acres of public land north of Yellowstone National Park, and the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.