Facebook-f Youtube

Tag: Energy / Natural Resources

Daines Focuses on Solutions to Better Federal Forest Management

March 24, 2015

Lincoln County Commissioner testifies about importance of forest management reform for rural jobs, tax revenue WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today pressed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to find solutions to increase timber harvests and called on them to work with local leaders to achieve increased harvests. During today’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on improving forest health, Daines pressed USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie on solutions to increase timber harvests after U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell acknowledged to Daines last week that a goal of nearly tripling harvests in Montana’s National Forests is “very reasonable.” The Forest Service

Daines Slams New Fracking Rule As Direct Attack on American Jobs, Energy

March 20, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today blasted the Department of Interior’s new regulations on hydraulic fracturing on federally-owned lands as a direct attack on American jobs and American energy. “The Obama administration is at it again. States like Montana have successfully overseen hydraulic fracturing for years, but once again, the Obama administration seems more set on overregulating our energy industry than promoting the responsible development of our nation’s vast energy resources,” Daines stated. “This top-down regulation is duplicative, burdensome and ultimately, a direct attack on American energy production, critical tax revenue for our schools and communities, and thousands of good-paying jobs across

U.S. Forest Service Chief: 300 million board feet per year in MT is a ‘very reasonable’ goal

March 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell asserted that increasing timber harvests on Montana National Forests to 300 million board feet per year is a “very reasonable” goal. During today’s Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Forest Service budget request for Fiscal Year 2016, Senator Steve Daines pressed Tidwell on the Forest Service’s goals for future timber harvests. In Montana’s National Forests, timber production in FY 2014 was 113 million board feet per year, only half of which were saw logs. Daines asked Tidwell if increasing timber harvest goals on Montana’s National Forests “between 200 and 300 million

Daines Works to Expand Recreational Access to Public Lands, Promote Montana’s Outdoors Economy

March 12, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today pushed for bipartisan solutions to preserve Montana’s outdoors heritage and protect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights. During today’s Energy and Natural Resources legislative hearing on S. 556, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015, Daines stressed the importance ofprotecting access to Montana’s public lands and increasing recreational opportunities for hunters and anglers. “This is an important bill to Montana and I am a proud cosponsor. Like so many Montanans, hunting, fishing and access to public lands is a way of life for us. It passed down through my grandfather, to my dad, and to me, as a

Daines Calls for Montana Solutions to Land Management, Coal Jobs and Increasing Access to Public Lands

March 4, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today advocated for the Department of Interior to better incorporate Montana-driven solutions in the management of Montana’s public lands, energy resources and wildlife habitats. During this morning’s Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing on the Department of Interior’s fiscal year 2016 budget request, Daines pressed Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to work more collaboratively with Montana in the conservation and management of the state’s sage grouse population. Daines also called for Department funds to be better utilized to expand access to public lands and pushed back against the Department’s recently proposed energy regulations that could have

Daines Statement on Vote to Override President Obama’s Keystone Veto

March 4, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines issued the following statement after the Senate failed to gain enough votes to override President Obama’s veto of the bipartisan Keystone XL pipeline. “It’s disappointing that some of my Democrat Senate colleagues failed to stand with a majority of the Senate and the American people to override the President’s short-sighted veto of the Keystone XL pipeline. Regardless of today’s vote, the fight to build Keystone is not over. I will continue to keep pressure on the Obama administration to approve this pipeline and fight for American jobs, American opportunity and American energy independence.” Last

Daines, Tester cast support for increasing public land access for Montana sportsmen

March 3, 2015

(U.S. SENATE) – Montana’s hunters and anglers today hailed Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines’ support for the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act, a bill that increases access for hunting and fishing. Montana’s Senators, joined by over one-dozen colleagues, are pushing legislation that increases public access for outdoorsmen and women, supports conservation, protects hunting and fishing rights, and increases Second Amendment protections on public land. “As a lifelong sportsman, I know firsthand the importance of Montana’s outdoor heritage to our state’s economy and our way of life,” Daines stated. “It’s important that we work together to ensure this legacy is protected for

Daines Presses Forest Service Chief on Forest Reforms

February 26, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today called on the U.S. Forest Service to work together with Congress to move forward common sense forest management reforms to responsibly increase timber harvests, create good-paying jobs and improve forest health across Montana. During today’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the U.S. Forest Service budget request for Fiscal Year 2016, Daines pressed Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell on the effect of litigation on Montana National Forest timber output, the need for effective implementation of the Farm Bill’s forest management provisions, and ongoing efforts to grow timber jobs for hardworking Montanans. “Montana

Daines: Keystone Veto Solidifies President’s War on Jobs, Energy

February 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today blasted President Obama’s recent veto of the bipartisan Keystone XL pipeline, condemning the veto as yet another sign of Obama’s “war on energy.” “President Obama is standing firmly against thousands of good-paying American jobs and domestic energy independence,” Daines stated. “Instead of advancing economic opportunity for hardworking Montana families, the President is instead perpetuating his war on energy and standing as a barrier to affordable energy. With one stroke of the pen, President Obama chose political grandstanding over the overwhelming bipartisan approval of Congress and the American people. I will continue to fight

Daines Calls on Obama Administration to Lift Barriers to Montana Energy Production

February 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today condemned the Obama administration’s refusal to embrace an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy and called on Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to revise Department of Interior policies that stand in the way of Montana tribes’ ability to develop their coal resources and create good paying jobs. During this morning’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Interior Department’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016, Daines pressed Jewell to also reduce the bureaucratic overreach limiting new oil and gas permitting in eastern Montana and ensure the state of Montana has primacy in developing and implementing