Daines Statement on EPA Study Confirming Safety of Hydraulic Fracturing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft assessment concluding that hydraulic fracturing has not led to “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources.” “The EPA assessment reflects what Montanans have long known: hydraulic fracturing is a safe and effective way to access Montana’s vast energy resources. The federal government needs to step back and allow states to take the lead in regulating hydraulic fracturing.” ###
Daines Takes to Senate Floor to Blast Rising Costs of Obamacare
Senator Steve Daines today took to the Senate floor to blast the rising costs of Obamacare in Montana, as insurers across the state have asked for double-digit increases in premiums for 2016. Below are key excerpts from Daines’ floor speech: “Look no further than Montana, where it is evident that health care premiums aren’t as affordable as President Obama promised they would be. “Policies sold through Obamacare exchanges are becoming even more expensive. “In Montana, according to fillings with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance…insurers across the board are asking for double-digit increases for 2016 policies. “Blue Cross Blue
Daines Introduces Legislation to Decrease Regulatory Burden on Montana Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to rollback the regulatory burdens and uncertainty facing too many Montana small businesses. Daines’ bill, S.1487, the Regulatory Predictability for Business Growth Act, ensures that small businesses aren’t subjected to unexamined and altered regulations that change at the whims of Washington bureaucrats. The bill requires any interpretative rule to undergo the Notice and Comment process if there is a change to a previously issued rule. The bill will ensure that any federal agency will not have broad unchecked authority to burden without notice businesses with dramatically altered rules without discussion and
Daines Hails Long Overdue Passage of USA Freedom Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today hailed the long overdue passage of the bipartisan USA Freedom Act: “I look forward to seeing this bipartisan legislation quickly signed into law by the President. The USA Freedom Act takes the long overdue step to end the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records and secures important reforms to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. Today’s vote is a win for our civil liberties and our constitutional rights. ” Daines has long worked to protect Americans’ civil liberties and Fourth Amendment rights. Daines is an original cosponsor of the USA Freedom Act of
Daines Statement on the USA Freedom Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after the Senate voted to advance the bipartisan USA Freedom Act. “I’m pleased to see the Senate take a critical step towards ending the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records by advancing the USA Freedom Act. The USA Freedom Act strikes the right balance between protecting the homeland from terror attacks while protecting the constitutional rights and liberty of the American people. I urge the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act swiftly.” With today’s vote the Senate cleared a critical procedural hurdle that sets up a vote on
KULR-8: Senator Daines Teams up with Google to Bring Small Business Workshops to Bozeman, Billings
BILLINGS – Representatives from Google hosted a free technology workshop for Montana’s small business owners in Bozeman and Billings. Daines’ workshops are part of Google’s “Let’s Put Our Cities On The Map” small business events. Google experts will help small business owners create their own websites and train them on how to reach more customers and get discovered online. Daines said, “You’ll see the tourist, you’ll see members of the community looking at their phones. They’re probably doing some kind of search to find a product or a service and what we’re doing here today is helping these small businesses
Daines Statement on BLM and USFS’s Greater Sage-Grouse Plan
“Obama Administration’s Land Use Plans Are One-Size-Fits-None” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today expressed his deep concerns about the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) newly released federal plan to manage the greater sage-grouse habitat. “We can’t protect the greater sage-grouse in a checkerboard-like fashion — after all, the bird can’t tell the difference between federal, state and private lands. I have serious concerns that the Obama administration’s land-use plans will have a detrimental impact on Montana’s economy, our land users and Montanans’ way of life. It’s the people of Montana, not federal bureaucrats
Daines Slams EPA Waters of the U.S. Power Grab
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today slammed the newly released Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Waters of the United States” rule as a direct threat to Montana’s agriculture and natural resources industries, jobs and water rights: “Once again, the Obama administration is pushing forward its extreme agenda with little regard for its devastating impacts on Montanans. By expanding the EPA’s powers to regulate virtually any spot across the country that is occasionally wet, this new rule has the potential to cripple Montana’s agriculture and natural resources industries, hurt Montana jobs and threaten Montanans’ property rights. Montanans who live and work
Helena Independent Record: Capital High seniors build custom fly rods for charity
Glancing back over his shoulder at 15 gleaming fly rods, Capital High senior Kreston Stevens told the crowd assembled in the machining shop Tuesday evening that he and the five other rod builders had learned more than just job skills. “We’ve been part of some really great, amazing projects, but by far this project has outdone anything we’ve ever done both in complexity and meaning,” he said. The fly rods built by the Capital High machining program will go to Big Hearts Under the Big Sky, a charity dedicated to taking veterans, children with life threatening illnesses and women recovering