Tester: Streamline process to help small video crews access public lands

Hunting, fishing, recreation videos showcase Montana’s outdoor heritage

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) –  Senator Jon Tester is urging the BLM and the Forest Service to streamline the permitting process to allow small-scale video production crews more access to America’s public lands.

“Small video crews are often small businesses and we should do everything we can to give them the tools to do their work responsibly in Montana without having to cut through bureaucratic red tape,” said Tester, the vice chairman of the Congressional Sportsman Caucus. “It is a win-win situation when we help a small business showcase Montana’s outdoor heritage to folks around the world.”

Current regulations are expensive, burdensome and limited. Tester wants the government to streamline the applications process to allow film crews of fewer than five people to apply for permits costing $200 per year for full access to public lands.

The National Rifle Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Safari Club are among the 30 organizations pushing for this change.

Tester plans to send a bipartisan letter with his colleagues from the Senate and House to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture asking for the streamlined permitting process.