In The News

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of a chief opponent of the Obama administration’s climate agenda and a staunch oil industry ally to lead the Environmental Protection Agency prompted vows to battle the nomination. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt — who sued the EPA to overturn some of President Barack Obama’s signature initiatives — is Trump’s pick to lead the agency, according to people familiar with the decision. It is a major victory for oil, gas and coal companies that have complained about a heavy hand at the agency. Pruitt relishes his role as its chief antagonist; an official bio on the 48-year-old Republican’s

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is detailing a wide-ranging list of Obama administration policies for Donald Trump to roll back when the president-elect takes office in January, including the Iran nuclear deal and immigration.   “In addition to enacting harmful policies, the current administration has failed to support commonsense reforms needed to improve the lives of hardworking Americans and protect our way of life,” Daines wrote in a congratulatory letter to Trump on Tuesday.   The seven-page letter covers national security, agriculture, energy, privacy, innovation, protecting taxpayers and small business. Among the recommendations is renegotiating the Iran deal, which Daines said was “poorly formed and

HELENA — Andy Kim, then 15, a self-proclaimed “rascal,” and some of his buddies were having their usual Sunday morning fun in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when he noticed a tiny black speck in the sky.  The Navy had been out on maneuvers a few days earlier, most of the Navy ships had returned to the port and U.S. military planes had been flying drills so no one was suspicious when that small dot appeared above. Soon, the small speck got closer and passed the boys as they were standing on a railroad trestle.  It was a Japanese fighter with what

Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester introduced legislation Monday to honor the 100th anniversary of the first woman elected to Congress.  The 100 Years of Women in Congress Act would pay tribute to former Rep. Jeannette Rankin – who was elected to the House in 1916 – by renaming in her honor a key science, technology, engineering and mathematics program that provides grants to colleges and universities who encourage women and minorities to pursue degrees and careers in STEM fields. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program” would be called the “Jeannette Rankin Women and

Spotted owls don’t fly in Montana. But like the proverbial butterfly wingflap in New Mexico stirring up a hurricane in China, spotted owls in Oregon blew down the timber industry in Montana. A quarter-century later, people see the spotted owl storm in one of two very different ways. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, points to the 1990 Endangered Species Act listing of spotted owls as the start of the industry’s troubles. “This listing and resulting litigation was a watershed development that encouraged and gave like-minded obstructionist groups a blueprint for more litigation and greatly contributed to the fall of the timber

The 133rd annual Wool Growers Convention took place Friday where senator Steve Daines spoke to growers about the continued importance of agriculture to Montana. Senator Daines said agriculture in Montana is important because it’s the largest economic driver, as well as the foundation of Montana values.  He also said it’s important that Montana plays a role overseas to grow our production and grow our herds.  “We need to have access overseas in these growing markets, particularly in Asia,” Daines said. “And I’m fighting for that everyday to ensure we can break down some of those barriers to ensure we get

The man who is a legend in Livingston and was recognized this summer by Senator Steve Daines as one of his Montanans of the Week has a talent many people might not know about.  Louis Armentaro, the Guinness Record Holder Rodeo Announcer, is a colorful character and is quick to share the secret of his success. “I was a twin. My twin died when I was a sophomore in high school,” Armentaro said. “That was the end of my world as far as I was concerned. And then I got drafted when I was 19 and I wanted to go

Even though these mussel species have been found they can not reproduce in the cold temperatures. So Fish Wildlife and Parks along with Governor Steve Bullock and Senator Steve Daines will have time to create a response plan to stop the spread of the mussels.  Governor Bullock released an Executive Order Wednesday calling for an inter-agency response of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Fish Wildlife and Parks. Thursday a meeting was held to answer questions from the public and continue making plans to stop the species from spreading.  “Over the past month this situation has escalated in complexity, and as