MCV endorses Bullock

   Montana Conservation Voters has made its endorsement for state attorney general: Democratic candidate Steve Bullock.

   Theresa Keaveny, executive director of the organization, praised Bullock for understanding the balance that she said must be struck with the state trust land. The attorney general is one of five statewide elected officials who make up the Land Board.

   “Steve demonstrated that he could balance the need to protect that trust and be a good steward,” she said. 

   Bullock is running against Helena Republican Tim Fox.

   It didn’t help Fox’s standing with the group, Keaveny said, when he refused to participate in MCV’s nominating process, which gauges whether a candidate’s stances coincide with the organization’s goals.

   But it seemed unlikely that Fox would have won MCV’s endorsement, even if he had participated. Fox has made clear his stance that oil, gas and coal development should be pursued more aggressively on state lands. 

   The Land Board, and state energy development in general, is a hot issue in this election season, with energy prices rising and candidates disagreeing over what should be done with the minerals and natural resources belonging to the state.

   Republicans cringed last week at a state decision to postpone the sale of oil and gas rights on the Rocky Mountain Front. Keaveny said that’s a discussion she hopes is front and center going into the election.

   “We certainly will try to make it an issue,” she said. “We think voters care about stopping drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front.”