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A bill to name a ridge on the east side of the Paradise Valley for an Air Force bomber that crashed there in 1962 has advanced in the U.S. Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously backed S. 490, which would name the southwestern arm of Emigrant Peak B-47 Ridge. With the vote Thursday, the bill advances to the Senate Floor. Naming the ridge is meant to honor the four pilots who died in the crash — Capt. Bill Faulconer, Lt. Fred Hixenbaugh, Lt. David Sutton and Lt. Lloyd Sawyers.  The bill is backed by Montana’s entire congressional

The Little Shell Tribe of the Chippewa Indians is once again on the verge of winning a generations-long battle to be recognized by the federal government. Legislation granting the Great Falls-based tribe federal recognition is attached to the National Defense Authorization Act. Federal recognition is required for the tribe and its 5,400 members in order for them to be eligible for federal resources for economic development, health, and education. The journey to federal recognition for the Little Shell Tribe has been difficult and faced roadblocks over the years. It came closest to passing in the closing days of the 115th Congress, but U.S. Senator Mike

The National Defense Authorization Act, which contains an amendment giving federal recognition for the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe, cleared a congressional conference committee Monday, bringing optimism from Montana’s federal delegation that the bill will finally pass. Reuters reported the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Committees said they reached an agreement on the $738-billion spending bill for the Department of Defense, considered a must-pass piece of legislation, after months of negotiations.  “I am almost without words — the magnitude of this moment,” Little Shell Chair Gerald Gray said Monday night. He said he had been told the news by Montana’s GOP

WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Steve Daines says a newly-developed settlement would bring a permanent solution to the dispute over tribal water rights claims in Western Montana, in a deal worth upwards of $2 billion.  The settlement, which forms the framework of a new agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, would replace the pending Flathead Water Compact . News of the agreement came Thursday after recent statements from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and US Attorney General William Barr gave new indications of movement in the dispute, which had been stalled at the federal level for the past four years. Sen. Daines

Bipartisan legislation introduced on Dec. 4 by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) would prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in America’s western waters, including in his home state of Montana. “Empowering our local communities with the resources they need to ensure our waterways, rivers and lakes remain free from these invasive species is critical to our Montana way of life,” Sen. Daines said. The Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act of 2019, S. 2975, offered by lead original cosponsor Sen. Daines and bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), would authorize funding to prevent invasive species from negatively