Category: Op-ed

The first week in October, I traveled across Eastern Montana – 648 miles to be exact with stops in 14 towns: Malta, Glasgow, Scobey, Westby, Plentywood, Culbertson, Sidney, Glendive, Wibaux, Baker, Ekalaka, Broadus, Alzada and Ashland.  Montana is a resource rich state. This includes agriculture as well robust coal, oil and natural gas potential — which directly employs nearly 6,000 Montanans and supports the employment of over 43,000 Montanans, in addition to providing a critical tax base – for our schools, teachers, roads and bridges.  I was on my way from Baker to my first meeting of the day in

Last week, an appeals court in Washington, D.C., heard a case that will determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the power to require states to restructure the electric grid.  At issue is the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which would expand the power of the federal government immensely, cost thousands of jobs, and give the EPA a veto over decisions that have always been left to state legislatures and utility commissions. A majority of states, including Montana, are challenging EPA’s regulation. The Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of it.  In the past, the EPA regulated emissions by identifying a

It’s that time of year again when the nights and mornings get a little cooler the leaves start changing color and the elk are bugling. Soon, it will be time to break out the snow shovel and winter coat. The changing season also means that across Montana our students and teachers are back in the classroom. As a father of four and a product of Montana’s public schools from kindergarten at Longfellow Elementary School in Bozeman through college at Montana State University, I look forward to this time of year and the new beginnings and opportunities that it brings. And

Folks in western states like Montana and the Dakotas understand that to ensure our way of life for future generations, we need to balance the responsible development of our natural resources with protecting and conserving our great outdoors. As an avid outdoorsmen myself, I’ve been backpacking, fishing and hunting across Montana all of my life. And I firmly believe that it is those of us who live here in the west who should make decisions on how our land is used, not federal government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. from agencies like the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management

It has been 15 years since the horrific terror attack of Sept. 11, 2001, that rocked our nation and forever changed our world. With the barbaric acts of terrorists, 2,977 people’s lives were taken when four jet planes were hijacked and crashed into some of our nation’s most emblematic landmarks. In the wake of the collisions, 411 brave responders lost their own lives while attempting to rescue survivors and fight fires. I don’t revisit these facts lightly, nor do I think that any American could ever forget the loss and terror of that day. Rather, I begin this way because

The Roaring Lion Fire, burning over 7,000 acres southwest of Hamilton, has already claimed one life and over 60 homes and structures. As fighters continue to battle the blaze, the destruction only underscores the importance of urgently passing forest reform legislation. Each summer that passes without comprehensive forest management reform is another summer when Mother Nature takes the matter into her own hands, filling our skies with the smoke of catastrophic wildfires. During a visit to the Roaring Lion Fire camp, I was able to visit with many of the men and women battling the fire and speak to them

Some in Washington may tell you that the dust is finally settling after over a decade of war. I would say those folks aren’t seeing the whole picture – and the 80 servicemembers from Montana’s 219th RED HORSE Squadron who recently returned from their deployment to the Middle East might, too. The threats facing our nation are growing – and with it, American servicemembers are more important than ever. Whether it’s engaging the enemy, constructing runways for bombers or manning a Missile Alert Facility in Great Falls – Montana servicemembers are protecting our nation daily. These servicemembers will one day

While it may be difficult to imagine given the destructive power they possess, nuclear weapons are a cornerstone of our national security. In fact, our possession of these weapons helps protect the United States and US allies around the world every single day by deterring our enemies. Regrettably, our nuclear capabilities are facing a readiness crisis and we must act to ensure the United States deterrent remains credible. Quite simply, it is imperative that we ensure our nuclear capabilities are rapidly deployable, flexible to meet varying scenarios, and able to penetrate sophisticated air defense systems. The land, air and sea legs of our

In Montana, the land is our livelihood and provides us our unique way of life. As a fifth-generation Montanan and avid sportsman, I know hunting, fishing and access to public lands is an important treasure for our families. As a kid I hunted in the Bridgers, backpacked in the Beartooths and fished the streams of southwest Montana with my grandfather and my dad — and still do with my own family. Just last week, I pushed through a bipartisan energy bill that modernizes our energy policies: Ensuring access to our public land, helping our local businesses, our mining industry and

Made-in-Montana energy means good Montana jobs that on average pay two to three times more than the state average. Montana’s ability to create more good-paying energy jobs is immense — in fact, our state leads the nation in coal deposits. We are the nation’s fifth-largest producer of hydropower, with 23 hydroelectric dams across our state, and fifth in wind energy potential. Montana is at the center stage of the national energy debate and provides the nation a template of a true all-of-the-above energy portfolio — we have coal, natural gas and oil, as well as renewables such as hydro, wind,