Daines a conservationist? Not so fast

Unless the political winds in Washington change quickly, Congress will soon send the Great American Outdoors Act — GAOA — to President Trump’s desk. Trump has assured he’ll sign it into law. This legislation represents a dramatic win for Montana’s public lands, its watersheds and wildlife. The bill mandates full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund — LWCF — a funding mechanism for conservation derived from royalties from offshore gas and oil drilling. Fully funded, the LWCF drops $900 million into wildlife habitat, infrastructure, cultural heritage projects and access to public land...