Part I: Greg Gianforte sued the people of Montana to block stream access
This week as the U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Congressman Ryan Zinke as the new U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the Montana Democratic Party will highlight why failed candidate for governor, New Jersey multimillionaire Greg Gianforte, does not represent Montana values. Each day this week the Montana Democratic Party will show why Montanans rejected Gianforte in 2016 and why they will reject him again as a U.S. House candidate.
A few years after Greg Gianforte moved to Montana and bought up property, he filed a lawsuit against the people of Montana to eliminate a public access easement to the East Gallatin River used by Montanans for decades.
Documents from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks showed that Gianforte “fenced off” and “actively excluded” the public from accessing a public point to the river.
At the same time, Gianforte:
- Donated to groups that worked to undo Montana’s stream access laws and want to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder.
- Criticized Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, & Parks department for working to expand public access.
- Left the door open for future transfer of federal lands to the state, saying only it wasn’t “attainable at this time.”
Greg Gianforte will continue to be held accountable for his anti-public access actions.