In The News

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, or LWCF, is getting lots of attention these days, and for good reason. For over a half-century, LWCF has delivered real benefits in Montana and across the country, providing funds to protect and gain public access to the parks, forests, and outdoor recreation we all need. LWCF has a proud history of bipartisanship that continues today, even as mudslinging in DC gets worse and worse. A bill recently passed by the Democratic House and the Republican Senate permanently reauthorizes LWCF and clears the way for continued federal funding for our Montana way of life.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing to drill a water well 3.5 miles west of Garneill in yet another step for a long-term project to bring well water to about 5,000 central Montana households. The federal agency has published an environmental assessment on the project and is taking public comment on the document through Aug. 9. The 8.75-inch diameter well — proposed to be drilled up to 2,800 feet deep into the Madison Aquifer — is the latest step in the larger Central Montana Regional Water Authority. If or when the roughly $90 million project is completed, it would supply

President Donald Trump taunted the “squad” of far-left first term progressive Democrats on Sunday, telling them to go back and fix the places they came from before telling the rest of the country what to do. Trump’s tweets Sunday appeared to reference Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). Trump’s tweet pushed Democrats such as Reps. Omar and Ocasio-Cortez to quickly attack the president, claiming that he was “stoking white nationalism.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she will hold a vote condemning Trump’s “disgraceful language.” Sen. Daines, who is up for reelection

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on July 11 introduced a bicameral, bipartisan bill to ensure counties around the nation receive their fair share of federal payment in lieu of taxes compensation. Sen. Daines sponsored the Small County Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Parity Act, S. 2108, with cosponsors including U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) to provide for additional population tiers that would better balance how the federal government pays PILT funds to a county government to offset the loss of property taxes from federally owned lands in that county. “Far too often our rural communities are pushed aside and

BILLINGS- U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana threw his support behind President Donald Trump over his tweets aimed at four Democratic congresswomen. In a tweet Monday, Daines wrote: “Montanans are sick and tired of listening to anti-American, anti-Semite, radical Democrats trash our country and our ideals. This is America. We’re the greatest country in the world. I stand with @realdonaldtrump.” Daines’ tweet, which had more than 19,000 likes and 18,000 replies Monday evening, was in apparent response to a series of tweets from fellow Republican Trump. HIs target has been four freshmen Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of

Conservation and conservatism: The two are rightfully inseparable. Yet it is fair to say that the Republican brand has for many years been divorced from environmental causes in the public imagination. Widely associated with climate-change skepticism, unquestioning support of the fossil-fuel industry, and the blind harvesting of resources, the GOP’s record on conservation is a bit rocky. But as voters become increasingly worried about the environment, Republicans on the Hill have finally realized that there is no time like the present to show some concern for the fate of the natural world. Last Wednesday, a group of Republican senators and

President Donald Trump is pushing better forest management as a big part of his plan to stop the number of large wildfires that have caused devastation in the western United States in recent years. In a speech at the White House this past week, the president touted an executive order signed last December promoting more active forest management. “You can’t have dirty floors. You can’t have fallen trees. After the first 17 months, they say a tree is like a piece of tinder,” said Trump, a Republican. Wildfires have gotten worse in recent years — burning up a large part

Glacier Park International Airport has received $5.7 million in federal funds to help pay for its ongoing terminal expansion and the purchase of new firefighting equipment. The money was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and comes on the heels of two other major FAA grants GPIA has received in recent years: a $7.5 million grant in 2017 and a $2 million grant in 2018. GPIA is currently in the midst of a three-year expansion project that will add about 40,000 square feet to the terminal area. “This grant is critical to Glacier Park International Airport’s capital

BILLINGS – The Billings Logan International Airport will receive about $1 million of federal grant money to buy new aircraft rescue and fire equipment, as well as partially fund the upcoming terminal expansion project in 2019. “This grant will help us secure new equipment that will be good for the next decade or so,” said Billings Airport Director of Aviation and Transit Kevin Ploehn. This money will allow the Billings airport to purchase about $200,000 worth aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment. Ploehn said some of the current firefighting equipment has expiration dates that are about to be reached. The remaining $800,000 will