In Montana, we are proud of our sunshine laws that keep government actions open and responsive to the public.

Unfortunately, the laws that apply to the federal government are not as enlightened, which can sometimes lead to nasty surprises from Washington -- surprises that impact the clean water and open spaces we treasure on our public lands.

Montanans got just such a surprise two weeks ago, when the Missoula County Commissioners and Senator Jon Tester discovered that Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey, the Bush Administration political appointee who oversees the Forest Service, has been quietly negotiating a backroom deal with real-estate developer Plum Creek, which owns some 1.3 million acres of land in western Montana. The deal would give Plum Creek unfettered development rights on thousands of miles of old Forest Service logging roads for residential subdivision -- and it impacts all Montanans who value our public lands.

Historically, Plum Creek has used its lands for timber production, land that includes the headwaters of our rivers and streams, and provides habitat for grizzly bear, elk and bull trout. But in the last decade or so, Plum Creek has undertaken a massive effort to sell its lands -- in Montana and around the country -- for real estate purposes.

First, though, Plum Creek needs access from the U.S. Forest Service to develop its land. The quietly negotiated road access rights, which could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Plum Creek, would greatly facilitate the company's plans to develop much of Montana's backcountry for subdivisions and trophy homes. Plus, the agreements would set a nationwide precedent for allowing private development to create "driveways" through public lands without first allowing public input.

Luckily, our elected officials blew the whistle. On April 28, Mark Rey arrived in a packed Missoula meeting room to explain himself to officials from five western Montana counties. Unfortunately, he did not use that opportunity to shed much light on the 18 months of negotiations that led to the secret access deal. Instead, he repeatedly made it clear that he would not seriously consider the officials' requests to have input into the terms of the deal before he signs it.

It's deeply disappointing that Undersecretary Rey and the Bush Administration don't feel that Montanans deserve a voice in this process. Montanans know what we lose when our forests are subdivided. We lose access to our favorite hunting grounds and fishing holes. We lose our snowmobile and hiking trials. And our local governments get the burden of providing emergency services and fire protection to thousands of new homes deep in the woods, at huge cost to local taxpayers. Our federal officials ought to treat our local government as partners in these negotiations. Sadly, they didn't even see the need to tell them the negotiations were taking place.

Indeed, Undersecretary Rey said the Forest Service don't even know where the easements he is set to give away are located, or how many miles of roads this deal would affect, although we can be reasonably sure that it would be thousands of miles. Worse, Rey said he has no intention on finding out where these easements are until after the agreement is signed.

Our state government knows better than to act this way. State officials routinely get exactly the same kinds of requests from Plum Creek to cross state trust land for development purposes. They negotiate access -- but they do so in public, and only after complying with the laws that make sure that local governments and the public get the chance to voice their concerns. Undersecretary Rey ought to follow their example.

It's not too late for the public to get a voice in the process. Sen. Tester has urged Rey not to sign the Plum Creek deal without preparing a proper environmental impact statement with full public input, as federal law requires him to do. Several counties with Plum Creek land are making similar requests in calling for a halt to these agreements. These officials deserve your support.

We thought it was common sense that Montanans ought to have a say in federal decisions that have such a profound effect on Montanans' way of life. It would be nice if the federal government thought so too.

Submitted by the Clark Fork Coalition and Hellgate Hunters and Anglers.