Category: News Article

LOLO — Montana conservation groups are throwing their support behind a bill that would provide permanent financial support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The groups say the Great American Outdoors Act would resolve the uncertainty that’s existed for the important pot of money for the past several years. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is a co-sponsor of the measure which has bi-partisan support in the Senate as a means to permanently pay for the LCWF. That money, which is generated from offshore oil leases, has been in question for the past few years, jeopardizing a fund critical to help to pay for

A little bit of Montana will be heading skyward soon as part of historic SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station, a U.S. senator said. The mission, known as DM-2, will include single-use lockers built in part by students from Billings and Helena, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a news release. This was done through NASA’s High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware program. Wednesday’s launch was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown because of thunderclouds and the danger of lightning. Liftoff was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. It will also mark the first attempt

While the CARES Act approved by Congress during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a broad shot of financial help for individuals up to large businesses, there have still been reports of some small businesses that continue to struggle. Montana Senator Steve Daines is hoping a bill he’s co-sponsoring with New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker will help fill some of those gaps. The Small Business Local Relief Fund would target $50 billion in economic relief to “seed and scale” relief funds for small businesses at the city or county level. This time around, dollars are for businesses

MISSOULA, Mont. — Sen. Steve Daines is one of more than 50 senators hoping to see the Great American Outdoors Act pass in the U.S. Senate next month. He calls it one of the greatest conservation acts in decades and on Wednesday visited one of the Montana sites it would fund. The Lolo Phase II Trail LWCF Project is a priority project for fiscal year 2021. It would add about 8,000 acres to the existing site near Lolo. It’s just one that would be funded by the LWCF if the act gets through the Senate, House and then signed by

FORT FIZZLE – Gathered near the banks of Lolo Creek in the warming summer sun, members of the conservation community on Wednesday celebrated news that the Land and Water Conservation Fund is moving closer to full and permanent funding in the U.S. Senate. If the measure passes, it would help complete the Lolo Trails Landmark Project south of Missoula – an ambitious effort to acquire a block of former timber land prized for its habitat, historic values and promise of public access. Sen. Steve Daines, one of the bill’s sponsors, said passage of LWCF could be weeks away, marking what

Sen. Steve Daines R-Mont., held a town hall Friday to answer questions or concerns Montanans have about COVID-19. He said he is doing everything he can as a senator to help all Montanans and people in need get through this tough time. Four hundred and seventy-nine Montanans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, he said, Friday, adding that 16 have died and currently there are three active hospitalizations. Gov. Steve Bullock offered his condolences this morning on the 17th death from COVID-19, which he said was confirmed by the Yellowstone County public health department. Friday, Daines said the effort of Montanans

Nathan Zussblatt participates every year in Bozeman’s Memorial Day parade, riding in an old military vehicle with others from American Legion Post 87 in Manhattan. The annual event drew thousands downtown last year. The street was closed to traffic, marching bands played and people gathered to honor those who died while serving their country. On Monday, Zussblatt watched a much smaller parade from his parked Subaru. The city suspended all parade permits May 1 due to the threat of COVID-19. But organizers with American Legion Post 14 in Bozeman still planned ways to commemorate the day, including a silent, six-person

BOZEMAN — On Monday, Bozeman honored its fallen veterans at Sunset Hills Cemetery for Memorial Day. “This is our special moment, that we can remember those, pray for those and love those that went before us and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” said American Legion Post # 14 Commander Len Albright. There was also a silent march that went down Main Street. Gabriel Martin, an Army veteran, was one of the participants in the march. “I remember all the friends I don’t have here and we honor them,” he said. During the ceremony at Sunset Hills Cemetery, there were a few

Montana Sen. Steve Daines spoke with One America’s Stephanie Myers about holding China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic, the HEROES Act and the importance of liability protections once businesses reopen. Click HERE to watch the video. 

The U.S. Senate is set to vote in June on a bill to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as generate funding towards the maintenance backlog at national parks. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on the Senate floor Thursday that the body would take up the Great American Outdoors Act during its next work period. The bill moves funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which comes from offshore oil royalties and is used for conservation projects, to $900 million annually. It also removes consideration of the funding from the annual appropriations process.