In The News

ANACONDA — The ceremonial groundbreaking for a $10 million hotel on a windy day in Anaconda is the first step in bringing about economic recovery to a city that was devastated by contamination and the loss of industry. “We’ve waited 40 years for this to happen, we need to get the deal done,” said Anaconda Chief Executive Bill Everett. The deal was reached in an EPA-led consent decree that outlined an agreement that the Atlantic-Richfield Co. would pay for the hotel, a $3 million RV park, and $2 million in renovations to the Old Works Golf Course. “We pushed the

MONTANA – U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined the United States Department of Agriculture, under Secretary Greg Ibach, on Wednesday at a ranch outside of Belgrade to announce new testing guidelines for brucellosis. According to the senator’s office, this will help expand research and improve efforts to eradicate the disease and reduce its impacts on Montana ranchers and Montana agriculture. Daines was joined by Montana agriculture leaders, including the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and other stakeholders. Before this policy change, researchers could only study animals infected with brucellosis in a contained, indoor facility, limiting researchers’

A ridge east of Paradise Valley where a bomber crashed in 1962 has officially been named “B-47 Ridge” in honor of the four Air Force pilots who died there. President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan B-47 Designation Act into law on Tuesday. The bill honors Capt. Bill Faulconer, Lt. Fred Hixenbaugh, Lt. David Sutton and Lt. Lloyd Sawyers, who died in a plane crash in 1962. The crew took off from the Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on July 23, 1962, for a training mission. During the flight, their B-47 bomber crashed into a ridge on a southwestern slope

Toward the end of a fire season that set records for acres burned and firefighters deployed, Montana Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Jim Hubbard visited the Missoula Smokejumper Base to say thanks. “This fire year has been one of those that got a lot of attention,” Hubbard said during a brief ceremony at the Smokejumper aircraft hangar on Tuesday. “Our season is still far from over in California. The weather and vegetation will continue to keep it active.” Daines’ staff presented about a dozen Lolo National Forest firefighters and smokejumpers with copies of a Senate proclamation commending

Progress rode into Anaconda on a sharp west wind Tuesday. At a building site at Polk Street and Highway 1, gusts kept blowing down the pictures of the $10 million Forge Hotel and new Barclay’s II Restaurant, but there were plenty of hands to keep putting them back up. Best of all, the pictures were backed up by an EPA consent decree and settlement with the Smelter City, and real money. Bill Everett, Anaconda chief executive; Doug Benevento, acting deputy administrator of the EPA; and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines braved the wind to celebrate real accomplishment after nearly four decades

BUTTE, Mont. — Sen. Steve Daines came to Butte Tuesday morning, joined by Chief Executive Dave Palmer, to further discuss cleanup developments moving forward. While no plans were outlined, Daines expressed his desire to one day get Butte off the Superfund list. The Environmental Protection Agency also joined the meeting and announced the next steps moving forward. “You folks made it happen,” said Gregory Sopkin, regional administrator for Region 8. “It’s your community. You deserve better cleanup. What was happening was not acceptable, it was taking too long. The follow-through is going to be very important.” Remedial designs outlined by

MISSOULA — Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is thanking firefighters for their tremendous efforts during what has turned out to be a record-breaking fire season across the U.S. and he’s once more promising the Senate will act on a series of sweeping reforms to improve forest management. Sen. Daines made those comments Tuesday, stopping in Missoula with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Jim Hubbard to thank the “smokejumpers” and other personnel for their work during an especially fierce fire season that saw more than 30-thousand firefighters deployed. While the largest fires struck the West Coast this year, Sen. Daines and Hubbard noted it

Washington – The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday unanimously passed a measure from Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) to ensure the Sidney and Kinsey Irrigation Districts continue receiving affordable power that enables irrigation. “This critical legislation ensures many family farms in eastern Montana have access to reliable irrigation, and I look forward to President Trump signing it into law,” Gianforte said. “Agriculture is Montana’s top industry, and I’ll continue working hard to protect it.” “This is about protecting Montana ag jobs and Montana family farms,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) who introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate in June 2019.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced that his bipartisan bill protecting Montana veterans and their families from pension poachers passed out of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “The fact that scam artists are taking advantage of Montana veterans – our nation’s heroes – and their families is beyond disappointing. It’s reprehensible,” Daines said. “I’m glad to see my bipartisan bill which will protect Montana veterans and their families from pension poachers is one step closer to being signed into law. I will always stand with Montana veterans, and will keep fighting until we get this done.” Daines’ bipartisan bill will