Category: News Article

Following decades of political wrangling, federal leaders are finally able to wrap up permanent financing of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, with President Trump signing legislation on Tuesday morning. It was 35 years ago this month President Regan asked a special commission to look into a permanent way to fund conservation and public lands programs. But the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) — which is paid for through revenues from oil and gas leasing — has continued to be a political football. Now, in a few short months, Congress was able to pull together bipartisan support for the

U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Steve Daines (R-MT) on July 30 led the introduction of a Republican bill that would provide supplementary 2020 recovery rebates to eligible individuals. “Much of the burden of the pandemic has fallen on parents and children,” Sen. Cassidy said. “This legislation prioritizes their needs by providing resources for school supplies, childcare and other unexpected expenses.” Sen. Cassidy sponsored the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act, S. 4381, with lead original cosponsor Sen. Daines and two other Republican cosponsors. If enacted, S. 4381 would equally disburse Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) of $1,000 for both adults

A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held to celebrate the upcoming launch of high-speed broadband in Cascade. The launch, planned for later this year, will include Spectrum Internet, with starting internet speeds of 100 Mbps in addition to Spectrum Internet Gig for residential customers and Spectrum Business Internet Gig for small and medium-sized business clients in Cascade, company officials said. Montana has among the slowest broadband access speeds in the country.A Spectrum spokeswoman said the company would do behind-the-scenes network upgrades to its existing infrastructure which will let them bring internet, phone and mobile service, as well as a better video

CASCADE — Cable TV and Internet provider Spectrum announced Friday that it will be bringing high-speed Internet and related services this fall to Cascade, a town of 800 people south of Great Falls.   Spectrum, which serves Montana’s major cities and many other smaller cities, has brought high-speed Internet to 11,000 previously unserved homes in Montana the past two years, a company official said.   Residents of Cascade already have cable TV from Spectrum, but the new service will include Internet with download speeds of 100 megabytes per second (mbps), wireless, telephone and high-definition channels.   U. S. Senator Steve

U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced the following Montana priorities that are included in the initial Phase Four Coronavirus Relief Package in the Senate. Daines fought for funding for a COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic drugs, Montana jobs and workers, and support for Montana child care providers and working parents. “As Montana experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases, I will continue fighting for the health and economic livelihoods of Montana families. This latest COVID-19 relief package includes my provisions to increase funding for a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as supporting getting Montanans back to work and providing support for Montana child care

GREAT FALLS — The new Great Falls Veterans Affairs clinic hosted a grand opening Friday morning with a ceremony dedicated to veterans and clinic staff. The event, which was open to vets and the public, had remarks from Montana VA Health Care System representatives, as well as Governor Steve Bullock, U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester, and Clarence Sivertsen, the vice chairman of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. Small groups were offered tours to see the new facility, which is the first in the Montana VA system to implement the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model. “Now we have

With the U.S. Senate deadlocked as the additional $600 in weekly federal unemployment benefits meant to supplement state benefits expires at midnight Friday, both of Montana’s senators called for action while placing blame on the other party. In Montana, the enhanced federal pandemic unemployment compensation to eligible Montanans totaled $549 million, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. Total unemployment payments made in Montana were $769.6 million from April 13 to July 24, meaning the $600 federal payments made up 71% of everything paid out. On Friday, a spokesperson for Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, said the senator

This is an important year for the Environmental Protection Agency and for America’s environment. This year marks the agency’s 50th anniversary and commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Superfund clean-up program, which was created to address America’s most contaminated properties. Throughout July, EPA is highlighting the success of programs like Superfund as part of our “Cleaning Up and Reusing America’s Land” month. During the Trump Administration, criteria air pollutant emissions have dropped 7% — making air quality the best it’s been since modern record keeping began — and our water is among the cleanest on the planet. I am proud

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler got an up-close and personal look at the federal agency’s impact in Kalispell during a tour on Friday. Wheeler came from Washington, D.C., to join U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and local business leaders on a tour of brownfield sites throughout the city that have been redeveloped, thanks to $2 million in EPA funding. “We’re very happy Administrator Wheeler took the time to come to Kalispell,” said Katharine King, assistant director of Community and Economic Development with the city of Kalispell. “The EPA brownfield program has been a great resource for property owners

At a U. S. Senate Finance hearing on Tuesday, Senator Steve Daines posed questions to two Department of Homeland Security personnel on importing vital medical supplies from countries like China. “It’s long overdue that we end our reliance on foreign countries like China to produce medical equipment, supplies and life saving drugs,” said Daines. “That’s why I’ve taken swift action to put America first in leading the effort in Congress to support ‘Made in America’ manufacturing as well as jobs. I was able to secure $10 billion in the CARES Act to accelerate the development and manufacturing of drugs and