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Tag: Energy / Natural Resources

Daines: Montana Counties Set to Receive Long-Awaited SRS Payments

April 28, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that the U.S. Forest Service will allocate nearly $18 million to Montana’s rural and forested counties under the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. The Forest Service this week released 2014 SRS payment levels for Montana counties following the recent reauthorization of the critical program. “The Secure Rural Schools program is a lifeline for Montana’s rural counties – many of which have suffered from severe economic challenges in the wake of declining timber harvests and natural resource production. These payments are welcome news for the dozens of Montana counties that are already stretching their

Montana Delegation Introduces Legislation to Ensure Completion of Montana Hydro Projects

April 28, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester, along with Representative Ryan Zinke, are introducing legislation in the Senate and House to ensure the completion of two hydroelectric facilities in Montana. The delegation’s bills will provide for the reinstatement and three-year extension of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for Clark Canyon Dam Hydro Project in Dillon, Montana and a six-year extension of the FERC license for the Gibson Dam Hydro Project near Augusta, Montana. “Hydropower is a critical component of our state’s all-of-the-above energy portfolio that provides a reliable and affordable source of electricity for hardworking Montana families,” Daines stated. “The completion of

Tester, Daines and Zinke to Forest Service: We need to see more

April 23, 2015

(Washington, D.C) – Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke are pushing the Forest Service for answers about how the agency plans to implement the forestry provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill.  In a letter to Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, the entire Montana delegation noted that after the Farm Bill passed over a year ago the Department was quick to approve Montana’s recommended areas that deserve expedited treatment for timber harvest, but since then there has been little action. “We need to see more,” the members wrote. “The health of the approximately 17 million acres of National

Daines Works to Prioritize State Based Sage Grouse Conservation Plans

April 22, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today helped introduce legislation that prioritizes state-created conservation and management plans for the recovery of the Sage Grouse. Daines is an original cosponsor of S. 1036, the Sage-Grouse Protection and Conservation Act, which would require the Department of the Interior to share scientific data with states, assist states in crafting and implementing their plans, and recognize the state plans for a minimum of six years. The Act empowers states to take the lead in Sage Grouse conservation while preventing a listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “Montana is best equipped to manage and

Daines Votes to Reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program

April 15, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines released the following statement on his vote to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program for two years — providing rural Montana counties with critical support for schools and community services. “It is critical that the federal government fulfill its long-standing promise to our forested counties, which have faced significant economic challenges under declining timber harvests and the ongoing mismanagement of our National Forests. It’s unacceptable that Washington’s inaction has led to such great uncertainty in these already struggling communities.  Last night, I was proud to vote to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program — a vote I’ve long been fighting for

Helena Independent Record: Daines pushing for disaster funding for wildfires

April 11, 2015

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said he is looking to add certainty to federal fire managers’ budgets by reforming the way the worst wildfires receive federal funding. Daines was in Clancy on Friday discussing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015 with a roundtable of state and federal forest managers, conservation and forest dependent business interests. Daines signed onto the act as a senator in January, which would likely end the practice of “fire borrowing” when suppression funding runs out and must be pulled in from other programs. “The agencies have this cloud hanging over them,” said Richard Stem, retired deputy

Daines Investigates Importance of Coal to Tribal Economies

April 8, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today chaired a Senate Indian Affairs Committee (SCIA) field hearing in Crow Agency, Montana on empowering Indian Country. Daines examined the need to responsibly develop coal resources as a vital component of the tribal economies along with the importance of access to international markets. Daines spoke with Crow Chairman Darrin Old Coyote regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) harmful policies that stand in the way of the tribes’ ability to develop their coal resources and create good paying jobs. Daines also questioned Chairman Old Coyote on the economic benefits of making permanent the Indian Production Coal Tax Credit. 

KULR-8: Senator Steve Daines Talks Jobs and Coal in Indian Country

April 8, 2015

CROW AGENCY – Senator Steve Daines emphasized unemployment, the coal industry and jobs in Indian Country as part of a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearing in Crow Agency on Wednesday. The hearing at the Little Big Horn College Health and Wellness Center lasted nearly two hours, and Attorney general Tim Fox and Crow Tribe Chairman Darrin Old Coyote were among the speakers. Sen. Daines discussed the importance of passing a permanent Indian coal tax credit. The temporary tax credit, which provides millions of dollars for the Crow’s economy, expired in December 2013. Daines and Old Coyote both testified

Daines Calls for Local Support in Monument Designations, Refutes Democrat Leader Reid’s Remarks

March 26, 2015

“Protecting the voice of the people should not offend members of this body— it should be our abiding commitment – it should be our priority.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Daines today took to the Senate floor to reaffirm the need for local support in monument designations, refuting Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s recent misleading remarks on Daines’ efforts. Earlier this morning, Minority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to a Daines amendment that would work to ensure local and state support for all future  National Monument designations. “The Senator from Nevada is saying that Washington, D.C. should