News

WEST GLACIER – Although Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines reside on opposite sides of the aisle, both agree something must be done to rein in the skyrocketing cost of suppressing wildfires. On Aug. 23, Montana’s senators were in West Glacier for a briefing on the Sheep Fire, which has burned more than 500 acres on the southern edge of Glacier National Park and threatens the community of Essex. The visit came just weeks after they joined other western senators in sponsoring legislation that would reform how the U.S. Forest Service funds the battle against wildfires. A new report from

BLANKENSHIP BRIDGE – It didn’t matter that a noxious veil of smoke blotted out the peak-studded horizon on Aug. 24 because everyone who converged here was focused on the crystal-clear, coruscating waters of the North Fork Flathead River, which forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park. A coalition of unlikely bedfellows gathered on the banks of the North Fork, just north of Columbia Falls, to commemorate a historic measure to protect the sparkling river that rolled beside them. Energy executives mingled among fish biologists, while land managers, business champions, community boosters, tree huggers, and tree cutters all milled about

The sun beat down on the Madison Valley as U.S. Sen. Steve Daines sat smiling in a lawn chair holding a 97-day-old trumpeter swan — one of five that would be released into the restored wetlands of O’Dell Creek. “They’re magnificent animals,” Daines said, shortly before riding an all-terrain vehicle to a pond where the swan would be released. The Senate is on recess, so the Republican is back in town. On Tuesday, he went to Ennis and visited the Granger Ranches near O’Dell Creek, the site of a major wetlands restoration project over the last decade. Releasing swans there

BLANKENSHIP BRIDGE – “Thank you’s” may have flowed even more easily than the relatively low North Fork of the Flathead River on Monday morning, as the National Parks Conservation Association celebrated the North Fork Watershed Protection Act on rocks that form the river’s bed at higher water. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., hailed the legislation as “an incredible bipartisan agreement” that “makes sure Flathead Lake will be Flathead Lake for generations to come.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said it was “ultimately, a means to an end, to protect a way of life.” That Tester and Daines aren’t often found on

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK –            Senator Steve Daines is joining Governor Steve Bullock in pressing the federal government to clear the use of Montana’s specially-equipped helicopters to fight fires on federal lands. Friday, Governor Bullock sent a strongly worded letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, calling on his to “rescind an unnecessary and artificial restriction” on the use of the state’s modified UH-1H helicopters on fires burning on federal lands around Montana. The state’s helicopters have been changed so they can haul larger loads of water to drop on fires. Bullock complains they’ve been working well for

Senator Steve Daines commended news that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has revised its rules regarding veterans’ ability to bring service animals to VA facilities. Veterans in some states, including Montana, have had difficulty bringing their animals into VA medical facilities. The VA’s new rule will put clear guidance in place that allows the presence of service animals at VA facilities across the United States. “While there is still work to be done, today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. I’m glad the VA has responded to my calls to ensure our veterans can have their service

Montana’s U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke met with a high-tech company Wednesday morning to discuss factors leading to economic growth in Bozeman. The Republican lawmakers received a guided tour of FLIR Systems from Kevin Tucker, vice president of surveillance, and Randy Equall, vice president of laser systems and scientific materials. The company was founded as Scientific Materials in 1989 by Ralph Hutcheson. Hutcheson grew the synthetic ruby crystals used in the world’s first laser. Scientific Materials was bought by the Oregon-basd FLIR Systems in 2005, a company that specializes in thermal imaging cameras. Today, FLIR has about