U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Greg Gianforte today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to award a $50,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study of a complete and restored Silver Bow Creek. The news follows Daines’ and Gianforte’s request to find a concrete path forward for restoration.
“Montanans have been waiting for far too long on cleanup of the Silver Bow Creek,” Daines said. “I’m very glad to see the EPA respond to my request to find a path forward for the feasibility study and this funding will help get it done. This is an important fight, and I’ll continue to work on behalf of the folks in Butte and push for full restoration of Silver Bow Creek.”
“The EPA’s response is a great step forward to fully restoring Silver Bow Creek,” Gianforte said. “The study will create a path to a restored creek that is able to support the local communities and wildlife for generations to come.”
“The $50,000 grant is great news for Butte’s future and the future of a restored Silver Bow Creek. Thank you to our excellent Montana Congressional Delegation for their concern and interest in raising the topic of Silver Bow Creek to the highest levels of the EPA. Their leadership and direction was essential in getting this grant and remains critical toward the future of a restored Silver Bow Creek. And thanks go also to EPA local and regional staff for pushing hard to help facilitate making this grant funding happen.” – Northey Tretheway, Restore our Creek Coalition
The grant will be awarded to the Citizens Technical Assistance Environmental Committee’s Technical Assistance Group.
Background:
Daines has been very involved in working to restore Silver Bow Creek.
Over 3,000 Montanans signed a petition requesting the restoration. In May, Daines and Gianforte sent a letter supporting their efforts, urging all responsible parties to find a concrete path forward to restore Silver Bow Creek.
In early April, Daines pressed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a U.S. Senate Hearing on the need to finalize restoration and cleanup at Montana’s Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda Smelter Co. Superfund Sites.
In September 2018, Daines brought Wheeler to Butte and Anaconda to discuss finalizing cleanup efforts with local, state, federal and community leaders.
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