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Tag: EPA

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 Calls for Prioritized Funding for Tribal Water Projects

March 4, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines is working to ensure that Montana tribes have the resources they need to maintain irrigation projects on Montana reservations. During today’s Senate Indian Affairs Committee legislative hearing on S. 438, the Irrigation Rehabilitation and Renovation for Indian Tribal Governments and Their Economies Act (IRRIGATE Act), Daines stressed the importance of fixing the maintenance backlog issues facing a number of irrigation projects throughout Indian Country, including five in Montana. Daines also reiterated his support for funding additional authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation, including those on the Fort Peck and Rocky Boy

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

Daines Secures Extension of Federal and Indian Coal, Oil and Gas Valuation Regs

February 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that following his urging, the Department of Interior has extended the comment period for the Office of Natural Resource Revenue’s proposed rule to reform royalty valuation for coal, oil and gas. SNL Financial reports that “an appeal by western U.S. political leaders for more time to comment on new rules impacting the federal coal lease program was granted Feb. 12, allowing critics of the effort two additional months to make their case.” The Office of Natural Resources Revenue has announced that it will extend by 60 days the public comment period for

Daines Calls for Extended Review of New Federal and Indian Coal, Oil and Gas Valuation Regs

February 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines has called on the Department of Interior to allow the state of Montana, Montana tribes, union members and business owners more time to provide input on the Office of Natural Resource Revenue’s proposed rule to reform royalty valuation for coal, oil and gas. Daines led more than a dozen Senate and House members in calling on Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to extend the comment deadline, as the proposed rule could have serious adverse impacts on domestic energy production and create uncertainty in the value of coal royalties that Montana and other states depend upon.

Daines Statement on Closing of Corette Power Plant

February 10, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to PPL Montana’s announcement that it will permanently close the J.E. Corette coal-fired power plant in Billings, Montana. “Once again, good-paying American jobs are falling ruin to the Obama administration’s war on American energy. The closing of the Corette power plant isn’t just a blow to Montana’s economy – it’s devastating news to the Montana families who rely on the plant for a stable income,” Daines stated. “The EPA’s misguided agenda doesn’t just hurt Montana’s coal industry— it directly affects thousands of Montana families, union workers and

Daines Blasts Costly EPA Wood Stove Regs

February 4, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today blasted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new regulations on wood burning stoves as a direct threat to Montanans’ access to affordable energy. This afternoon, the EPA rolled out its final regulations on residential wood heaters, pellet stoves and other wood burning stoves. The new regulations are projected to have a $45.7 million annualized compliance cost, which could lead to higher costs or decreased access to stoves for Montana consumers. “The EPA’s shortsighted regulatory overreach is once again hitting hardworking Montanans in their pocketbooks,” Daines stated. “Thousands of Montanans rely on wood burning stoves

Daines: Political Games Delaying Keystone XL Construction

January 6, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today condemned the partisanship and political games, including President Barack Obama’s recent veto threat, that have delayed the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline for more than six years. Criticizing the years of gridlock that have held back the project and the hundreds of good-paying Montana jobs it would create, Daines called for immediate approval of the pipeline’s construction. “This pipeline checks every box of commonsense – it’s environmentally sound, it creates jobs, it’s economic opportunity and it’s going to help us toward North American energy independence. So why are we still waiting?” Daines said. “The time for

Daines Helps Introduce Keystone Legislation in Senate

January 6, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the day he was officially sworn into office, Montana Senator Steve Daines helped introduce his first bill in the U.S. Senate. Daines is an original cosponsor of S. 1, legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and the first Senate bill to be introduced in the 114th Congress, which began today. “Special interests and political games have been standing in the way of the Keystone XL pipeline and the jobs it will create for far too long. That’s why we’re wasting no time in getting to work to approve construction of this job-creating project. My