Candidate forum
Candidates for local offices (from left) Jerry Bennett, Eileen Carney, Chas Vincent, Mike Cuffe, Tim Linehan, Darren Coldwell and Ron Downey participate in a forum sponsored by the Society of American Foresters. Photo by Kootenai Valley Record.
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Candidate forum
Candidates debate resource issues
by Kootenai Valley Record
October 31, 2010
Candidates for Lincoln County’s state legislative seats and District 2 county commissioner fielded questions on a range of natural resource issues during a forum held last week by the local chapter of the Society of American Foresters. Following is a look at how candidates in each race responded to some of the questions:
House District 1
Jerry Bennett/Eileen Carney
Both candidates showed support for multiple use management principles, with Bennett stressing the need to utilize available resources.
"Our DNA is timber, it’s minerals and it’s some agriculture," Bennett said. "Too often we try to remake ourselves, and I don’t think that’s necessary."
Carney focused on delineating specific areas for different uses.
"I think every form of economic activity and every form of recreational activity ought to be allowed out in the woods," she said. "But not every activity in every place."
On the issue of the Rock Creek and Montanore mining projects, Bennett indicated wholehearted support for both.
"I think it’s sheer foolishness that Rock Creek has been in the permitting process for 24 years now," he said.
Carney said there’s a need for mining, but that reclamation bonds must be sufficient to ensure cleanup after the mining is done.
"Montana history has too many times when the mining companies have pulled out and then we’re stuck with paying the cost of the cleanup," she said.
The two candidates differed on the question of additional wilderness on the Kootenai National Forest.
There’s plenty of wilderness already, Bennett said, and advocates are always pushing for more.
"Unless you draw a line in the sand and say enough’s enough, we run into the same problem continuously," he said.
Carney expressed support for the creation of a new wilderness area at Scotchman Peaks. That location is not suitable for logging or mining, she said.
"That seems to be an ideal area to make a wilderness area," she said, adding that she also supports U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act – which would create new wilderness at Roderick Mountain – as long as rest of the bill passes as proposed.
House District 2
Tim Linehan/Mike Cuffe
Both Linehan and Cuffe expressed support for the Rock Creek and Montanore mining projects. Linehan said he has been closely following Montanore because of potential impacts on his livelihood as a fishing guide, and he feels comfortable with the environmental safeguards.
"I think this is solid," he said.
Cuffe said he would like to see both mines go up and stressed the need for an accurate grizzly bear count.
On the wilderness issue, Linehan said he believes in local solutions and supports Tester’s bill.
"It’s one of the most contentious issues we’ve faced as a community, and I think we’re fast approaching a reasonable solution where people have decided to sit down and quit fighting," he said.
Regarding the Endangered Species Act, Linehan stressed the need for flexibility and said state legislators need to be diligent in monitoring the law.
"This could absolutely impact my industry someday," he said.
Cuffe lamented the economic repercussions the law has had in Montana.
"I am not an endangered species – I am extinct," he said. "I am a mill owner, a mill manager."
When asked what one law he would like to pass for resource management, Linehan said he would like to strengthen language requiring 85 percent of revenue from the state’s school trust lands to go toward public education. A lot of the money gets "siphoned off," he said.
Cuffe said his legislation would be something "to impeach Judge Molloy," who often rules in lawsuits brought by environmental groups against federal agencies in Montana.
"Maybe it would be a joke," he said. "Maybe we could embarrass him out of there, or maybe we could prod something into our federal Congress and Senate."
Senate District 1
Chas Vincent
Vincent was adamant in his support for multiple use management principles. New wealth has to come out of the ground, he said.
"That means we have to pound some metal out of the ground," he said. "We need to cut some trees and turn them into 2x4s."
Regarding mining, Vincent noted that Montana has some of the most stringent regulations in the world, and he added that the most efficient way to clean up an old mine site is by mining it again.
"We need to mine responsibly," he said. "But we as a society cannot continue to demand the quality of life that we have, and get it somewhere else."
On the wilderness issue, Vincent said Tester’s bill needs firm language to prevent litigation.
"Otherwise, I’m not willing to give anymore," he said.
Questioned about motorized versus non-motorized recreation on public lands, Vincent said there’s plenty of land available for non-motorized recreation while areas for motorized use keep getting smaller and smaller.
"Now you can’t be on a road unless it’s designated as one, and it used to be just the opposite on the forest," he said.
On the matter of the Endangered Species Act, Vincent said the law has had "severe unintended consequences" brought on by the abuse of the court system, with litigants "shopping" for judicial opinions. While those bringing lawsuits "pretend" to be environmentally responsible by shutting down resource industries in the United States, Vincent said, what they’re really accomplishing is sending those industries to developing countries where environmental responsibility is not a big concern.
Commissioner District 2
Darren Coldwell/Ron Downey
Both commissioner candidates were supportive of the Rock Creek and Montanore mining projects, with Coldwell adding that the team at the Genesis mine at Troy have been "fantastic partners" for the community.
Downey indicated that he sees the Endangered Species Act as standing in the way of progress on the two projects.
"I for once would like to see the human element come out on top," he said. "I like animals, I don’t have anything against the grizzly bear, but I do have problems with the way they’ve used it."
On the issue of motorized and non-motorized recreation, Coldwell said his family loves to ride all-terrain vehicles but has had to buy a trailer to be able to get to places where they can ride.
"I would like to see more trails," he said. "I would like to see more opportunities for us, and snowmobilers for that matter, to utilize the forest."
Things have been going downhill on the access front, Downey said.
"We have to change, because this isn’t working," he said.
Questioned about proposed new federal regulations that would tighten air quality standards and make slash burning extremely difficult, Coldwell argued in favor of finding ways to use that material instead of burn it. The infrastructure to use the slash for energy production is available at the Kootenai Business Park, and Flathead Electric has shown some interest, he said.
"I think if you can make it economically feasible to bring it out of the woods, why burn it?" Coldwell said. "We can use it right here."
The Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations haven’t helped anything, but they have put a lot of people out of work, Downey said.
"It all goes back to the same thing," he said. "We just need to do what we did 50 years ago."
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Editor's Note: See the October 26, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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