Daines Secures Over $11 Million for Billings Infrastructure Project
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced the City of Billings will receive $11,656,765 in Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant funding for a major infrastructure project. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao called Daines with the good news this morning. Daines talking to Chao about the BUILD grant. “This BUILD grant funding will help modernize infrastructure in Billings, and is a big win for the community and jobs,” Daines said. “I’m glad to have secured these funds and I look forward to seeing these projects get started.” This funding will go towards completing the Northwest
$11M grant awarded to Billings for Inner Belt Loop project
BILLINGS – Billings will receive an $11 million federal grant for a major infrastructure project, officials announced Thursday. The funding will go towards completing the Northwest Billings Connector and Marathon Loop. Funds will create nearly 25 miles of continuous parkways and improve access to residential and employment areas near Billings International Airport, according to a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Stave Daines. “This BUILD grant funding will help modernize infrastructure in Billings, and is a big win for the community and jobs,” Daines said. “I’m glad to have secured these funds and I look forward to seeing these projects
Yellowstone grizzly delisting bill gets Senate hearing
The fight over lifting federal protections for Yellowstone grizzly bears moved to a U.S. Senate committee room on Wednesday. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on S. 614, the Grizzly Bear State Management Act. The bill, introduced by Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, would direct federal officials to reissue the 2017 rule that removed Endangered Species Act protections from bears in the Yellowstone region. It would also bar any litigation over the move. The Department of the Interior delisted the bears in 2017, but the decision was overturned by a lawsuit from conservation groups
Daines, Feinstein Secure Hearing for Bipartisan Forest Management Bill, Urge Quick Passage
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Dianne Feinstein today announced that their bipartisan forest management reform bill has been given a hearing date in the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next week. This announcement follows Daines’ and Feinstein’s direct request to the committee for a hearing. Daines serves as Montana’s voice on the Committee. “As deadly wildfires continue to spread across Montana and the West, it is important now more than ever that we advance this bipartisan forest management reform bill,” Daines said. “This hearing will demonstrate how our legislation will help protect at-risk communities, create jobs and
Daines Urges Action on Grizzly Bear Delisting in Senate Committee
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today testified in a U.S. Senate Committee in support of his bill, the Grizzly Bear State Management Act, which would delist the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, return management to the State of Montana and prevent further obstruction in the courts. To download the full video, click HERE. “Wildlife management should be determined by science, not a court order. The science has long proven that the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has fully recovered,” Daines said. “Delisting the grizzly bear is in the best interest of our communities, public safety, the ecosystem, wildlife, and
Daines Announces $13.3 Billion Contract for Malmstrom Defense Project
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that the U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $13.3 billion contract to begin the major engineering design work for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program at Malmstrom Air Force Base. “This critical funding will help support Malmstrom’s mission and strengthen our nation’s defense systems,” Daines said. “I will continue working to ensure that Montana’s national security priorities are met and that our facilities at Malmstrom have the resources needed to keep our country safe.” This funding marks the second of three major milestones before Malmstrom begins replacing its Minuteman
Daines Urges President Trump to Support Funding for the National Guard in Montana Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to fully fund National Guard operations in Montana amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Restoring the one hundred percent Federal cost-share for all National Guard units will allow it to continue to execute the numerous tasks required for our nation’s response to the threat COVID-19 poses,” Daines wrote. “The National Guard has lessened the impacts of the virus in many ways including support to community-based testing sites, distributing millions of meals to Americans in need, as well as aiding our front line health workers that provide
Daines: We Must Work Together on Targeted COVID-19 Relief for Montana
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today highlighted several Montana priorities in the Senate COVID-19 relief package which will be voted on this week. The relief package will provide relief for Montana workers, families, schools, small businesses as well as expand access to testing and promote vaccine development. “This targeted relief package will help Montana families, workers and small businesses bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as provide funding for Montana schools to keep students and teachers safe and advance vaccine development to help us get back to normal,” Daines said. “I encourage my colleagues on both sides
Sen. Daines leads push against minimum insurance increase
A contingent of U.S. Senators are standing up against a push to significantly increase the minimum insurance requirement for motor carriers. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and six of his colleagues sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in response to a provision added to House Democrats’ version of a highway bill that would increase the liability insurance coverage requirement from $750,000 to $2 million per truck. “We ask that you refrain from including any increase in the existing minimum liability coverage for motor carriers,” the letter stated. “An increase in insurance requirements is both