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The Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act introduced by Sen. Daines is meant to remove the designation from five Wilderness Study Areas (WSA’s) and return them to the normal forest planning and travel planning process.  Many of the following criticisms from letters in the local media are not based on facts.  They are simply fear mongering from those promoting more wilderness and they need to be addressed.  First, these WSAs weren’t meant to be permanent. Sen. Metcalf’s 1977 law established the WSA’s and stated that they should be reviewed, not protected, by the Forest Service for wilderness characteristics.  Within

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines recently introduced S. 2206, the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act. This bill would release five wilderness study areas in Montana that for 40 years have been called “study” areas. According to the law, these and other “study areas” were to be examined for no more than five years by the U.S. Forest Service to determine the validity of a wilderness designation. The main word in the name that stands out is “study.” U.S. Sen. Lee Metcalf carried the bill that designated these and others as WSAs, and it passed into law in 1977. This

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced bipartisan legislation, the Mitigating the Methamphetamine Epidemic and Promoting Tribal Health Act, or the Mitigating METH Act, to combat methamphetamine use across Montana and strengthen Indian tribes’ ability to fight this epidemic. “Methamphetamine use in Montana is tearing apart families and taking lives,” said Daines. “This is a crisis that needs immediate attention and more resources.” Background: • In the 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in 2016, Congress authorized $1 billion in funding over two years to address the opioid epidemic.  • Daines’ legislation would make efforts to combat methamphetamine use, alongside opioid abuse, eligible for funding under

Sanders and Mineral County residents can get excited as Missoula International Airport is set to pick up two more direct routes. Routes to Dallas and Chicago are all thanks to American Airlines. American Airlines will begin their daily service from Dallas to Missoula on June 7, 2018. A daily summer seasonal service from Chicago to Missoula will also begin on that date. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., applauded the airline for the two new additions when announced last week. “More flights in and out of Missoula also means more choices for Montana families and more business and job opportunities in our

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced bipartisan legislation, the Mitigating the Methamphetamine Epidemic and Promoting Tribal Health Act, or the Mitigating METH Act, to combat methamphetamine use across Montana and strengthen Indian tribes’ ability to fight this epidemic. In the 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in 2016, Congress authorized $1 billion in funding over two years to address the opioid epidemic. The legislation would make efforts to combat methamphetamine use, alongside opioid abuse, eligible for funding under the 21st Century Cures Act.   Methamphetamine Crisis in Montana: Montana saw a 427 percent increase in methamphetamine violations from 2010-2015. 54 percent of

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — Montana‘s congressional delegation wants an independent investigation of the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Montana Standard reports Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte outlined their concerns about what they termed “alleged misconduct” within the agency in a jointly signed letter to the Inspector General of the United States Department of Agriculture. The delegation is seeking an investigation of the way the agency has treated Montana meat plants from the Inspector General’s office. The Inspector General is tasked with promoting “economy, efficiency, and integrity in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and