Daines, Feinstein Call on Biden Admin to Collaborate with States on Forest Management
U.S. SENATE – Today on National Loggers Day and Montana Forest Products Industry Week, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Senator Feinstein (D-Calif.) teamed up and sent a bipartisan letter to the Biden administration urging the development and implementation of a transparent and swift process to allocate funds promised to States for implementing effective forest management projects under the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA). “We write to ask that you do all in your power to follow through on your commitment to working with state and local governments to improve our forest health and address the wildfire crisis. By mid-summer, your Department was in receipt of $160 million to award grants to States and Tribes
Daines Talks Forest Management, Forestry Jobs at Senate Hearing
U.S. SENATE – At a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing today, U.S. Senator Steve Daines discussed his bipartisan bills that would promote active forest management by reversing the disastrous Cottonwood decision and help protect Montana from catastrophic wildfires by supporting Montana Job Corps Civilian Centers’ mission and ensuring graduates have a pipeline to wildfire and forestry jobs. Click HERE to watch and download “Sustainable forest management creates sustainable rural economies. It also leads to more carbon sequestration, important mitigation strategies that relate to warmer summers and longer fire seasons, healthier watersheds and air, and productive wildlife habitat. Better forest management can also help Montana’s housing shortage—at one time
Daines, Colleagues Slam Biden’s Executive Order Undermining Critical Forest Management
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Chairman of the Senate Western Caucus, today led a group of his Senate Republican colleagues in pressing the Biden administration on the implications of Biden’s Executive Order titled “Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies”, which diverts resources from actual conservation work and sets the stage for further restrictions and prohibitions on public lands. “On April 22, 2022 President Biden issued an Executive Order entitled ‘Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies.’ While the rhetoric of the Executive Order focused on climate change, resilient forests and ecosystems, the order directs federal agencies
Daines Discusses Impacts of Cancelling Keystone XL, Irresponsible Forest Management at Senate Hearing
U.S. SENATE – At a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Steve Daines questioned Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on the widespread effects of the Biden administration’s cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline on energy security, the economy and the United States’ relationship with Canada. Click HERE to watch and download “Premier, you know better than most what the Keystone XL Pipeline meant for jobs, revenue and energy security…That’s why Alberta filed a suit against the United States seeking $1.3B in damages. Let me just read a line from that filing: The Biden Administration’s decision to revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline
Daines to Biden: More Paperwork and More Red Tape Won’t Help Our Forests
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement on President Biden’s Earth Day Executive Order that diverts resources from actual conservation work and sets the stage for further restrictions and prohibitions on public lands. “Once again, the Biden administration is failing to address the underlying issues affecting Montana’s forests and threatening communities while demonstrating a lack of understanding on the many complexities surrounding effective forest management,” Daines said. “More paperwork and red tape is not the way to create healthier ecosystems, support rural communities, or meet our environmental objectives—the answer is forest management. Sadly, the Biden administration seems
Daines: Biden’s Reversal of 2020 NEPA Modernization Another Blow to Montana, Energy Security
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule that make projects, including commonsense forest management and Montana mining, harder and more expensive. “I’m very disappointed to see the Biden administration remove commonsense policies that were put in place to modernize the outdated and cumbersome environmental review process which would allow for responsible natural resource development and land management,” Daines said. “This is another step in the wrong direction from Biden especially when we should be doing all we can to increase forest management to mitigate fire risk and expand domestic mining operations for
Daines, Rosendale Urge Biden Admin to Finalize Rule to Reverse Disastrous Cottonwood Decision
U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Matt Rosendale are leading their colleagues in urging the Biden administration to resolve challenges stemming from the disastrous Cottonwood decision which threatens Montana forest management projects. “During a congressional hearing on October 2021, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) testified that unless action is taken to resolve challenges stemming from the 2015 Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service, (Cottonwood) decision, the agency will have to go through re-consultation, regardless of the merit, on over one-hundred forest plans that “will take years and cost millions of dollars,” threatening to undermine the Administration’s 10 Year
What They Are Saying: Montana Forestry and Conservation Groups Offer Broad Support for Daines’ Bipartisan Bill to Improve Forest Health and Management
U.S. SENATE – Last week, several forestry and conservation groups voiced their support for U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ new bipartisan bill that would provide for more efficient and effective forest management by empowering collaboratives and public-private partnerships. Daines introduced the bill last week with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Statements of Support for the “Root and Stem Act:” “Only with the help of states and the private sector can we tackle the wildfire crisis and the 80 million acre forest-restoration backlog. Building on the success of the Colville National Forest’s “A to Z” project, the Roots and Stem Project Authorization Act of 2021 proposes to harness the power of public-private
Daines’ Forest Management Reform Bills Receive Senate Hearing
U.S. SENATE — Two of Senator Steve Daines’ forest management reform bills were discussed at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today. Daines’ forestry bills will address abuse in the courts and frivolous litigation to help increase active forest management that reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires, protects Montana families and communities from fires and supports good paying timber jobs. Daines’ bills would reverse the disastrous Cottonwood decision and establish a pilot arbitration program to protect collaboratively-developed forest management projects from fringe litigation. Watch and download remarks HERE. “Forest management is good for our workers, watersheds, wildlife, and wildfire prevention. It’s a critical part of our way of life