U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte (R-MT) has introduced legislation to ban mining on public land in the Paradise Valley.
According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Gianforte introduced two bills to the U.S. House of Representatives: the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act and the East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The latter would “conserve a portion of the creek north of Yellowstone under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.”
The Chronicle reports both bills have “received widespread support from the community,” paraphrasing Gianforte spokesman Travis Hall.
According to KBZK, Gianforte’s bill is companion legislation to a bill introduced by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) in April (also called the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act) and was drafted with input from the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition, which recently ramped up efforts to get the legislation passed by the end of the year.