In The News

Republican senators repeatedly pushed the secretary of Energy Tuesday to support lifting the ban on oil exports and explain why President Obama does not agree. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told the lawmakers at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing that oil exports are not within his purview, but nonetheless defended Obama’s opposition to the bills in both chambers to lift the ban.  “Do you agree that U.S. crude oil exports would benefit the energy security of our allies and trading partners?” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) asked. “Does the Obama administration oppose all legislative efforts to repeal this crude

In response to a grain shipment meltdown that bottled up Montana wheat last  summer, Congress passed a law Monday forcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture  to intervene when port grain inspections fail. House lawmakers approved the Grain Standards Reauthorization Act on Monday.  Tucked away in the bill was an amendment by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.,  requiring the USDA to intervene immediately when port grain inspections stop, as  they did at the United Grain terminal in Washington during union protests in  2014. The Senate last week passed the bill, which now heads to President Barack  Obama. Grain inspectors employed by

Funding for the construction of a fish bypass on the Yellowstone River is up in the air. A judge granted an injunction that stopped construction, and in the meantime, almost $60 million of federal funding is set to expire. Last week, some members of Congress sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that money doesn’t disappear. Word traveled fast to the office of Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., when a judge granted an injunction on the Yellowstone River Fish Bypass project. “It didn’t take long for farmers and ranchers of eastern Montana to be calling our office,

President Barack  Obama lied to the American people about the effects of Obamacare on the price  and availability of health care, Sen. Steve Daines tells Newsmax  TV. “I would challenge President Obama to jump on Air Force  One and come out to Montana and stand up and explain to Montanans why our  commissioner – I’ve got the facts in front of me here – the Montana commissioner  of security and insurance published our approved rates for the state of Montana  for next year,” the “Big Sky Country” Republican told “Newsmax Prime” host J.D.  Hayworth. “These are now approved by the 

As Congress battles over a way to keep the federal government open, the future of a popular conservation fund hangs in the balance. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, a pot of federal money used for parks and more, expires Sept. 30, and the latest draft of a budget resolution doesn’t include any language reauthorizing the fund, meaning new money won’t go into the fund after it expires. Money from the fund has helped build numerous parks and trails around Bozeman. “” frameborder=”0″ width=”320″ name=”google_ads_iframe_/1089311/BDC_Home_InStory_Top_320x50_0″ marginwidth=”0″ scrolling=”no”> Over the past year, groups like the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Business for

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines joined other Republicans Wednesday in calling reforms to wildfire spending inadequate without also including reforms to forest management policy. In a conference call, Daines, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, challenged wildfire funding requests from the Obama administration and calls from some state and federal lawmakers to end the practice of “fire borrowing” without also passing reforms to limit litigation and increase the pace and scale of forest management. “It’s irresponsible and a missed opportunity to only address funding issues without reform,” Daines said in light of the recent fire season across the

Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement ahead of Pope  Francis’ address to a joint meeting of Congress Thursday: “On behalf of all Montanans, it is a privilege to welcome His Holiness Pope  Francis to the United States and to our nation’s capital,” Daines stated. “We  should let this day remind us that our great nation was founded with the vision  that we are all endowed with certain natural rights and dignity that come from  God, not from government.  It is the role of government to protect and  defend our rights. I am thankful for the strong legacy of

For two days in September, Montana State University’s Strand Union Building ballroom was the richest room in the state. The local business world’s elite — including RightNow Technologies founder Greg Gianforte, senior Oracle executive Laef Olson and former Intel board chairman Craig Barrett — shared miniature cupcakes with officials ranging from San Francisco British Consul General Priya Guha to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman. The gathering of more than 500 people represented the first biannual Montana high tech jobs summit — aimed at discussing the state of the region’s high tech sector and encouraging expansion

The United States is “actively under attack” by enemies in the cyber world, a senator said on Tuesday. “We are actively under attack. Everyone knows that,” said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in remarks delivered at the Chamber of Commerce. “Americans see it every day.” Daines referenced the Office of Personnel Management breach that took place earlier this year, and argued that the government can’t keep pace with cyber threats without assistance from the private sector. “As somebody who in 28 years never had my data hacked as a private sector employee until I became a federal employee … I was