Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed a law directing about $12 million of annual tax revenues from cannabis sales into a “habitat legacy account,” Public News Service reports. Three-quarters of the fund will be used for conservation easements, water storage, and Wildlife Management Areas projects, while the remaining funds will be used for wildlife habitat support.
State Rep. Becky Edwards (D), executive director of Mountain Mamas, told Public News Service that the law ensures that using cannabis tax revenues for conservation efforts will not “be up for negotiation every legislative session.”
“It provides certainty that those dollars will be there for state park creation, trails, wildlife habitat – all the things that are so important to us as Montanans.” — Edwards to Public News Service
Edwards added that about 5% of the funds will be directed into an account that reduces wildlife collision possibilities.
In August, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a spending plan that, for the first time, included funding from state cannabis taxes. The contributions buoyed the account by about $1.13 million. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife division administrator Ken McDonald said some of the funds would be used to provide habitat for pygmy rabbits and pinion jays.
