The Searchlight: Senator Daines Tours United Grain
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, United States Senator Steve Daines, along with his press secretary Katie Waldman and field representative Nate Williams, arrived in Culbertson to tour the United Grain Company facility. This was one of the many stops on Daines’ 648-mile trip around Montana. Daines greeted several of United Grain’s managers after arrival and discussed the new construction at the facility and the presidential election. Construction on United Grain’s new grain bins began on July 5, 2015, and they will be put to use in the near future. United Grain managers explained that the best they’ve done is get 200
Fallon County Times: Touring southeastern Montana with Sen. Daines
Eastern Montana was the focus for Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., last week as he toured 13 towns within the region, including Baker, as part of his latest tour to talk jobs, agricultural and economic opportunities and specific concerns in each community. Eastern Montana was the focus for Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., last week as he toured 13 towns within the region, including Baker, as part of his latest tour to talk jobs, agricultural and economic opportunities and specific concerns in each community. Baker was the final stop on the last leg of Daines’s tour as elected officials, community leaders and
Daines Statement on Expiration of Softwood Lumber Agreement
BOZEMAN, Mont. — U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the following statement after the expiration of the Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA): “Subsidized and unfairly traded lumber imports continue to severely harm Montana mills, workers and communities. President Obama needs to remain committed to reaching a new trade agreement that prioritizes the American worker and fights for good-paying jobs.” The SLA expired on October 12, 2015 with a one-year moratorium on complaints or lawsuits ending on October 12, 2016. A timeline of Daines’ efforts to renegotiate a new SLA for Montana’s sawmills is below: April 27, 2006: SLA signed – seven year agreement that went
The Missoulian: Softwood deal collapse could drive up U.S. lumber prices
Lumber producers in Montana don’t expect big changes after midnight Wednesday, when the U.S.-Canadian Softwood Lumber Agreement expires without a replacement. But that doesn’t mean little ripples won’t turn into waves later on as loggers on both sides of the border try to meet American housing market demand for 2x4s. A weak Canadian dollar, increased pace of construction, shifting Asian export demands and a U.S. presidential campaign targeting international trade deals all stir a pot previously covered by the softwood treaty. “If there’s less lumber coming from Canada, that’s good news for the American sawmills,” said Hakan Ekstrom, president of
Billings Gazette: Daines takes on hotel booking fraud
Mike Nelson had a problem. People without reservations at his posh Northern Hotel kept showing up at the front desk insisting they had booked a room online. They were furious when they were told there was no booking, even more so on the occasions when the downtown Billings hotel had no vacancy. The problem was online booking agencies, with no affiliation whatsoever with the Northern, wrongfully charging customers and never booking rooms. The booking sites used the details scraped from the Northern’s website to make it appear like they represented the hotel. There were so many third party booking sites,
Daines Hosts Roundtable in Billings to Protect Consumers from Online Booking Scams
U.S. Senator Steve Daines today hosted a roundtable discussion with the leaders of the Montana Lodging & Hospitality Association (MLHA) on growing Montana’s tourism industry and protecting consumers from online booking scams. Daines sought to raise awareness and crack down on operators of that trick consumers into thinking they are making reservations directly with hotels. On September 27, Daines introduced bipartisan legislation to address this problem and protect consumers from online booking scams. According to the University of Montana Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research, in 2014, tourists spent $3.98 billion and which helped support more than 55,000 jobs.
Daines Comments on U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Deny Appeal of Cottonwood Case
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today made the following statement after hearing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to deny the appeal of the U.S. Forest Service in challenging the ruling of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cottonwood v. U.S. Forest Service: “I’m very disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear this case. Allowing the Ninth Circuit’s disastrous ruling to stand will greatly increase needless paperwork on the Forest Service and further delay much-needed restorative management work. This development makes it especially critical that Congress act to explicitly remove this crippling regulatory burden, and I will continue
Flathead Beacon: U.S., Canada Approaching Trade Dispute Over Softwood Lumber
Barring last-minute deal, U.S. timber industry poised to initiate trade cases against Canada in court The U.S. and Canadian governments are approaching the end of a one-year standstill that could erupt into a trade dispute over timber imports that industry officials and federal lawmakers say are hurting Montana mills. Trade representatives from both countries have until midnight, Oct. 12 to reach a new deal before industry leaders can file complaints in court against Canada. The U.S. timber industry says Canadian producers are benefiting from an unfair cost advantage by exporting subsidized softwood products that are undercutting U.S. producers. Canada is one
Great Falls Tribune: Veteran at war with system over hearing aid
HELENA — A Vietnam veteran upset with the federal Veteran’s Choice program in his quest to get a hearing aid has threatened to burn the card that registers him in the program, reflecting frustration with all parties involved to say they are looking for ways to fix the system for all veterans. Helena resident Dave Dube’s complaint reflects a deeper problem with the program, officials said, as many local audiologists and optometrists decline to participate, saying payments are late or come up short. Dave Dube said Tuesday that after several months of frustration, something had been worked out between Montana