It turns out that it's not about brucellosis after all.

When Native American reservations in Eastern Montana and northwestern Wyoming recently sought to acquire brucellosis-free bison that have been quarantined for three years, Montana State Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey, introduced Senate Bill 337, which, as amended, would prevent Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from relocating quarantined, brucellosis-free bison to any place in Montana other than the National Bison Range in Moiese. The Senate passed the bill, and it is now in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee.

This bill exposes what many have suspected for years: While some hard-liners in the cattle industry, like the Montana Stockgrowers Association, allege that their concern with wild bison is brucellosis - a disease that causes pregnant cows to abort their fetuses - in reality, they just don't want wild bison anywhere in Montana.

The Bison Quarantine Feasibility Study began in 2005, with the goal of producing brucellosis-free, genetically pure, wild bison that could be used to establish new disease-free herds in Montana and other places.

The quarantine program began when about 100 bison calves were captured from Yellowstone, quarantined and tested for brucellosis. Approximately half were slaughtered when they tested positive for the disease. The remaining calves have tested negative for the past three years, while being tested at least twice annually.

Though quarantining wild animals is a questionable practice, this program has been at work for four years, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested in it, and, according to Montana FWP, which opposes SB337, "these bison are considered brucellosis-free" by the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The senseless slaughter of Yellowstone bison has gone on for years, giving Montana a big black eye in the process. This quarantine program aims to find an alternative to the slaughter, albeit for a relatively small number of bison, while at the same time offering Native American reservations and other organizations the opportunity to establish brucellosis-free, genetically pure bison herds.

Many safeguards are attached to the relocation phase of the program. For example, applicants must have a bison conservation plan, possess suitable habitat and be willing to participate in continued brucellosis testing over the next five years. Any relocated bison would also be considered a "research herd" by APHIS, and thus would not affect Montana's brucellosis status.

This quarantine program has been rigorously thorough, and these bison have attained incredibly high testing standards. In fact, this testing program far exceeds the standards imposed upon cattle traveling in and out of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As Dr. Martin Zaluski, the veterinarian for the Montana Department of Livestock, testified in opposition to SB337, "If this standard is not high enough … to certify or to give us confidence that this population is brucellosis-negative, then what is the standard?"

Cattle industry opposition to the notion of wild bison in Montana is not about brucellosis, as they claim, it's merely about keeping wild bison out of our state. SB337 is a step in the wrong direction for Montana.

Matthew O. Skoglund of Livingston is a wildlife advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council.