“Our goal, here, is to give those who live in rural communities and small towns near forests and national parks the opportunity to be heard when it comes to managing nearby federal lands,” Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said. “I happen to think the opinions of people living in Livingston, Red Lodge or West Yellowstone are just as vital to the management of Yellowstone as that of any bureaucrat in Washington. The same is true for those in communities like Columbia Falls and Browning, many of whom understand Glacier Park better than a lot of the so-called federal experts.”

The Gateway Communities Cooperation Act broadens the definition of small towns and communities to include those with populations of less than 10,000, ensuring the federal government solicits input from all rural communities near a National Park of National Forest. The bill also authorizes $10 million a year to federal agencies to ensure that they reach out to local communities and provide technical assistance to these areas.