Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Go Jon!
Montana Senator Jon Tester is trying to get to the bottom of a fishy land deal in Montana.

HELENA n U.S. Sen. Jon Tester asked congressional investigators Tuesday to examine closed-door road negotiations between the U.S. Forest Service and Plum Creek Timber Co.

The Montana Democrat also asked Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to postpone making any changes to Plum Creek’s federal road easements until the investigation is complete.
“My hope is just to find out what the heck is going on,” Tester said [...]
For the past two years, Tester said, the company has been negotiating behind closed doors with federal officials to expand the uses allowed under its road easements, which previously dealt only with logging. The proposed new easements would give Plum Creek the right to drive across public land for commercial, industrial or residential development, and according to Tester and several western Montana officials, would open up numerous tracts of land to real estate development.

Plum Creek wants to get what they can before the Bush leaves office.

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