Category: News Article

The Interior Department on Wednesday officially rolled back a major Obama administration coal initiative.  Secretary Ryan Zinke formally lifted the ban on new coal leasing on federal land, a policy shift that was one of the cornerstones of the climate and energy executive order that President Trump signed on Tuesday.  Interior also suspended a review of federal coal-leasing rates that the Obama administration and environmental activists had touted as a win-win for the climate and for taxpayers. But Zinke said he is still committed to one of the basic goals of that review, which was establishing an Interior Department task force to consider

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has ended the federal government’s Obama-era moratorium on coal-mining leases on federal land. Zinke signed an order repealing the pause in leases Wednesday in his Washington, D.C., office, surrounded by Republican lawmakers, lobbyists and staffers. The action implements parts of an executive order that President Trump signed Tuesday — focused on repealing environmental policies and restrictions on energy production — under the goal of increasing energy independence. That means the Bureau of Land Management can now resume the process of allowing new coal-mining leases on its land. Zinke signed two other directives Wednesday to implement Trump’s policy. One kicks off a two-year

Snapchat was initially established in 2011 and within the last year or so, a few senators have jumped on the social messaging app popular with millennials. The lawmakers usually send multimedia messages, or snaps, themselves — as opposed to having their staffers do it — and they get pretty creative with what they send to followers. We asked a few avid senatorial Snapchatters about how they use the service. Montana Republican Steve Daines@stevedaines Established: Early 2016. Is it you Snapchatting? Yes. Why do you like having a Snapchat account? “The best part of Snapchat is that it is spontaneous, genuine, and it’s real. When I meet with young

The White House has released a budget blueprint that calls for deep cuts to USDA, sparking criticism from the MonDak’s Congressional delegates and its major farm groups. The budget released by President Donald Trump proposes a 21 percent spending cut to USDA discretionary spending.  The likely effect of such cuts include reductions in staff at USDA field offices, as well as to USDA-ARS research units, of which there are two in the MonDak, one in Sidney and the other in Minot.  Chris Christiaens, with Montana Farmer’s Union, said they haven’t yet reviewed the proposal in depth, but in general he

GREAT FALLS – Montana’s agriculture leaders recently met with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) in Great Falls to talk about the future of the industry under the Trump Administration. Sen. Daines discussed a number of issues with ranchers, farmers and livestock owners at a roundtable discussion. A concern felt across the board was the future of trade for Montana’s agriculture industry and export opportunities under the new administration. “There’s so much uncertainty on the direction that we’re headed, we’re looking at renegotiating NAFTA — President Trump has pulled the U.S. out of TPP — both of those agreements,” said Montana Grain Growers

WASHINGTON — Sonny Perdue, President Donald Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, pledged to be a “tenacious advocate and fighter” for farmers within the administration and said he would try to address requests for help from dairy and cotton producers ahead of the next farm bill. Testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Perdue promised to work with Robert Lighthizer, the nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to protect agriculture’s interests in upcoming trade negotiations. Perdue also distanced himself somewhat from Trump’s budget proposals and expressed support for easing financial restrictions on trade with

The state’s U.S. Senate delegation had a laundry list of concerns for former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who was in the nation’s Capitol Thursday for confirmation hearings before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Three of Montana and North Dakota’s senators are members on the committee, Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D, Steve Daines, R-Mont. and John Hoeven, R-N.D., who is also chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. is not on the committee, but has been a vocal ag advocate, and did not let that stop him from pressing Perdue as well on topics of importance to the area.

The Trump administration proposed Thursday that as part of its new budget it would eliminate federal subsidies for flights from Billings to five rural communities in Eastern Montana. The cuts would target the 39-year-old Essential Air Service, which subsidizes Cape Air flights from Billings to Glasgow, Glendive, Havre, Wolf Point and Sidney. Without the program, Cape Air would unlikely be able to afford to continue operating the service, which peaked during the Bakken boom earlier this decade. The program has bipartisan support from Montana’s two senators. In 2016, at least 37,106 passengers boarded subsidized Cape Air flights in Montana, down 15 percent

Western American Indian tribes got the hard sell from the White House on Wednesday to back Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Representatives from Montana’s Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes met as delegates of the National Congress of American Indians with Trump staff and Western lawmakers to discuss Gorsuch. The Supreme Court nominee’s Senate hearing is set to begin Monday. Ryan Rusche and Rhonda Swaney were there for CSKT. Rusche didn’t return calls afterward, but CSKT spokesman Rob McDonald said the western Montana tribes decided in February to endorse Gorsuch. “Judge Gorsuch’s record demonstrates respect for Tribal sovereignty and understanding of the

Republican lawmakers from western states said Thursday that Judge Neil Gorsuch’s record of supporting the sovereignty of tribal nations could play a big role in winning Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court. Emerging from a meeting at the White House with tribal leaders, Sens. Steve Daines of Montana and Cory Gardner of Colorado, and Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, praised Judge Gorsuch as a nominee who understands the importance of Indian-country issues. Mr. Gardner said the judge’s record in Native American cases while serving on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver will have an impact with “not only within Indian