Holland Lake and the Consent of the Governed
January 18, 2023
In a nation founded on the principle that all power in governance resides in “we the people,” the “consent of the governed” should be the goal not only of those in the public policy arena, but in the government agencies charged with implementing those policies. That’s particularly important in the management of public lands and wildlife in Montana. Yet, in recent times, we have troubling examples of government agencies, both state and federal, attempting to avoid prudent public scrutiny and the consent of the governed.
The poster child for this form of governmental abuse is the recent Forest Service debacle with the Holland Lake Lodge. In a nutshell, the agency tried to slide a large proposed expansion of the historic Holland Lake Lodge by new owners under the phony cover of a “categorical exclusion” from environmental analysis as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
George Ochenski is a columnist for the Missoulian, where this essay originally appeared.