News

MONTANA – U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined the United States Department of Agriculture, under Secretary Greg Ibach, on Wednesday at a ranch outside of Belgrade to announce new testing guidelines for brucellosis. According to the senator’s office, this will help expand research and improve efforts to eradicate the disease and reduce its impacts on Montana ranchers and Montana agriculture. Daines was joined by Montana agriculture leaders, including the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and other stakeholders. Before this policy change, researchers could only study animals infected with brucellosis in a contained, indoor facility, limiting researchers’

ANACONDA — The ceremonial groundbreaking for a $10 million hotel on a windy day in Anaconda is the first step in bringing about economic recovery to a city that was devastated by contamination and the loss of industry. “We’ve waited 40 years for this to happen, we need to get the deal done,” said Anaconda Chief Executive Bill Everett. The deal was reached in an EPA-led consent decree that outlined an agreement that the Atlantic-Richfield Co. would pay for the hotel, a $3 million RV park, and $2 million in renovations to the Old Works Golf Course. “We pushed the

BELGRADE – U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, along with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), released new brucellosis testing guidelines at a ranch in Belgrade Wednesday. The new testing guidelines are a push to support Montana ranchers and agriculture by expanding research and improving strategies to wipe out and decrease the effects of brucellosis, according to a release from Sen. Daines’ Office. Sen. Daines’ Office’s release says prior to the new testing guidelines, researchers ability to study the disease on livestock and wildlife were restricted because they could only examine infected animals in an enclosed indoor space. Montana agriculture leaders including

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Wednesday morning in Belgrade, USDA undersecretary Greg Ibach spoke with Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte. Ibach announced new outdoor testing for studying brucellosis, a disease in livestock and wildlife. He said brucellosis is an issue affecting Montana cattle producers. Ibach said the new research will not only help Montanans but cattle producers across the U.S. “I don’t expect this to happen in a year or maybe even two — this is something that’s going to take some time,” he said. Ibach said he’s hopeful this new way of studying brucellosis will lead to a vaccine

MONTANA — On Wednesday, USDA Undersecretary Greg Ibach along with U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced the USDA is continuing research on brucellosis in Montana. The infectious disease can severely harm cattle and wildlife. Ibach said it has been eliminated in all other parts of the state except in the Yellowstone area. “It’s going to take some time to be able to find the right research project, the most efficacious way to deliver the vaccine either orally or through other methods that we might could use in wildlife, so I don’t expect this in a year or maybe even two. This

MISSOULA — Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is thanking firefighters for their tremendous efforts during what has turned out to be a record-breaking fire season across the U.S. and he’s once more promising the Senate will act on a series of sweeping reforms to improve forest management. Sen. Daines made those comments Tuesday, stopping in Missoula with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Jim Hubbard to thank the “smokejumpers” and other personnel for their work during an especially fierce fire season that saw more than 30-thousand firefighters deployed. While the largest fires struck the West Coast this year, Sen. Daines and Hubbard noted it

BUTTE, Mont. — Sen. Steve Daines came to Butte Tuesday morning, joined by Chief Executive Dave Palmer, to further discuss cleanup developments moving forward. While no plans were outlined, Daines expressed his desire to one day get Butte off the Superfund list. The Environmental Protection Agency also joined the meeting and announced the next steps moving forward. “You folks made it happen,” said Gregory Sopkin, regional administrator for Region 8. “It’s your community. You deserve better cleanup. What was happening was not acceptable, it was taking too long. The follow-through is going to be very important.” Remedial designs outlined by

Progress rode into Anaconda on a sharp west wind Tuesday. At a building site at Polk Street and Highway 1, gusts kept blowing down the pictures of the $10 million Forge Hotel and new Barclay’s II Restaurant, but there were plenty of hands to keep putting them back up. Best of all, the pictures were backed up by an EPA consent decree and settlement with the Smelter City, and real money. Bill Everett, Anaconda chief executive; Doug Benevento, acting deputy administrator of the EPA; and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines braved the wind to celebrate real accomplishment after nearly four decades