In The News

Senate support for permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund got the most notice on Wednesday, but passage of the Energy Policy Modernization Act has a lot of other Montana-related details. “Energy is the title of the bill, but you can see there’s a lot of moving parts,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Wednesday shortly after the measure passed the Senate. “We’re a state that loves the outdoors and fishing and hunting opportunities, and has lots of natural resources. We passed this bill so we can have jobs and economic growth and at same time protect the land

The U.S. Senate passed legislation Wednesday that includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Energy Policy Modernization Act garnered bipartisan support, easily passing on an 85-12 vote. The act includes myriad updates to energy and efficiency standards and regulations from appliances and vehicles to energy production. It also reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund and creates the National Park Service Critical Maintenance and Revitalization Conservation Fund. LWCF takes a portion of offshore oil and gas royalties and offers matching grants for conservation projects. In Montana, it has funded city parks

The U.S. Senate voted to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration on a 95-3 vote Tuesday with amendments that Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines said would strengthen security for travelers and benefit Montana airports. “This bipartisan bill will strengthen America’s national security, boost tourism and support meaningful infrastructure investments in our state’s transportation system,” Tester said. “Our airports serve as gateways to Montana’s treasured places and an important line of defense against folks who want to do us harm. This bill is a strong step toward keeping families safe and encouraging economic growth.” Tester offered a successful amendment to

JASON SMALL, PRESIDENT of Local 11 (East Helena, Mont.) enjoyed a bird’s eye view of one of the nation’s top political events when he attended the annual State of the Union (SOTU) at the U.S. Capitol January 13. Small, who is politically active, especially on matters pertaining to the future of coal and opportunities for Native Americans (he is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Nation), attended the SOTU as a special guest of U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana. “I was actually out feeding my cows when I got a text from Senator Daines’ chief of staff, asking if

The U.S. Forest Service has dropped its proposal to reduce funding for trail maintenance in Montana. The agency originally planned to reduce appropriations for Region One, which includes Montana, by 30 percent over the next three years. This included a potential loss of $1 million to Montana’s federal trail budget this year. U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester criticized Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell last week for failing to prioritize trail maintenance in Montana. The agency proposed revising its formula for funding trail maintenance across the U.S. with an added emphasis on higher population centers. In Region One, there are 28,000 miles

The U.S. Forest Service has reportedly reversed plans to deeply cut trail maintenance funding for the region including Montana, according to Montana’s senators. The Forest Service earlier this year announced a change to its allocation formula for trail maintenance. Historically, funding weighted the expense of maintaining remote trails in wilderness areas, which favored the Northern Region including Montana and Idaho. The new formula focused more heavily on population and visitor days, giving more populous areas a funding boost. The reallocation meant a 30 percent cut for the Northern Region phased in over three years, triggering a backlash from regional trail users

Two bills up for votes in the U.S. Senate next week contain a lot of money for Montana’s power production sector. Montana senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester each said the 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act and the 2016 Energy Policy Modernization Act will bring assistance to both state programs and energy issues that Montana has a stake in. The 2017 appropriations bill would allocate $37.5 billion for the Department of Energy and the Army Corps of Engineers. It cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday with a nearly unanimous approval. Direct Montana projects in the bill include

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed an amendment that would let Veterans Affairs doctors discuss and recommend marijuana as a potential medical treatment in states where it is legal. An addition to the fiscal 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations bill, the bipartisan amendment sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, would let VA doctors discuss marijuana as a potential medical treatment, similar to the allowances given civilian physicians in medical marijuana states. The move marks the second time senators have tried to improve access to medical marijuana for veterans who are treated

Billings Logan International Airport will receive almost $2 million for infrastructure improvements, Montana Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester announced Wednesday. The funding is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. A news release from the senators’ offices says the money will be spent on extending taxiways and improving the airport’s drainage system. “The AIP grants allow for enhancing safety and continuing the expansion of the Billings airport, and we are grateful to have these needed funds,” said Kevin Ploehn, the city’s director of aviation and transit. Ploehn said the projects being funded include the extension of the