Billings Gazette: New federal pipeline law influenced by Yellowstone River oil disasters
Two Yellowstone River oil spills have reshaped national pipeline safety laws signed Wednesday by President Barack Obama. The PIPES Act sets pipeline law and reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The law addresses two of Montana’s worst oil spills: the July 1, 2011, Silvertip Pipeline spill into the Yellowstone River near Laurel and the Jan. 17, 2015, oil spill into the Yellowstone River upstream from Glendive. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines carried PIPES Act in the Senate. For the first time, pipeline companies will be required to have plans in place for dealing with oil disasters trapped beneath the ice. In
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Support growing for naming Madison Range peak after conservationist Diekmann
A number of conservation groups and local governments have expressed support for naming a mountain in the Madison Range after a prominent conservationist who died earlier this year. Maddy Pope, a project manager for the Trust for Public Land, has been heading up the effort to name a peak in memory of Alex Diekmann, who worked for the group until he died of cancer earlier this year. “It seems like a really good way to commemorate his legacy and his work,” Pope said. Diekmann, who was 52, worked for the Trust for Public Land for 16 years. He negotiated land
AP: Daines hosts coal meeting after Montana left out by feds
Montana residents can comment on a potential overhaul of the federal government’s coal leasing program during a Tuesday meeting hosted by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. Montana has the largest coal resources in the nation. But the Treasure State was left off an Interior Department list of events where the public was asked to weigh in on the changes. Daines told The Associated Press the government proposal could have a major impact on the state’s economy and affect the livelihoods of thousands of people. The Republican lawmaker says comments at Tuesday’s meeting at Montana State University in Billings will be recorded,
Daines Partners with Weather Channel’s Maria LaRosa: How to Prepare for Severe Weather
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today stressed the importance of severe weather preparedness in a newly created Public Service Announcement (PSA). The locally targeted PSA, recorded in partnership with The Weather Channel television network, is airing on the network throughout the summer. “Severe weather affects us all,” Daines stated. “Our first line of defense against severe weather is preparedness. I encourage members of the community to create an emergency plan, practice that plan and always stay alert and weather-ready.” Dave Shull, CEO of The Weather Channel television network, said that “being prepared saves lives when severe weather is approaching. We are grateful
Daines: Montana Counties Set to Receive over $30 Million in PILT Payments
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has allocated $30,285,246 million in Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds to Montana’s rural counties. “These payments are essential for the health and safety of Montana’s rural counties,” Daines stated. “The PILT program provides critical support for Montana’s rural and forested counties, but long-term certainty and permanent solutions are still needed. That’s why I’ve been pushing multiple efforts forward to reform our forest management policies and maintain a balanced natural resources portfolio to create good-paying jobs.” Complete information on DOI’s PILT payments, including a county-by-county
Daines Statement on Fracking Ruling
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today hailed Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District Court of Wyoming’s ruling to strike down the Obama administration’s regulation on hydraulic fracturing on federal lands. “This is great news for Montana made energy and Montana made jobs,” Daines stated. “It’s important that the Obama administration’s over-regulation tyranny comes to an end. Yet another court decision confirms: President Obama can’t make laws with his phone and pen.” On March 20, 2016, Daines blasted he Department of Interior’s new regulations on hydraulic fracturing on federally owned lands as a direct attack on American jobs and American
The Hill: Warren, Daines offer retirement savings bill
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect the retirement savings of people who change jobs. The legislation would create a national, online “lost and found” for retirement accounts so that workers can easily locate accounts sponsored by former employers. The lost and found would use data that employers already have to report to the Treasury Department. “Our country faces a retirement crisis, and it’s important that all workers have a real chance to build retirement security. But today, millions of Americans are losing critical savings when they move between jobs,” Warren said in a news release. “This bipartisan bill will
Daines Hosts Scoping Meeting in Billings
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today held a public meeting in Billings to ensure that the Department of Interior (DOI) hears the voices that will be most impacted by their review of the federal coal program. Today, DOI held a scoping meeting in Seattle, Washington. Washington State contains only 0.26 percent of the nation’s recoverable coal reserves and produces zero. Montana has the nation’s largest estimated recoverable coal reserves. Over 150 Montanans attended Daines’ scoping meeting to make their voices heard. Click here to download. Click here to watch. “Montanans rely on coal for their livelihoods, so the ability to produce
KMMS: ICYMI: Daines Stood for Due Process, Stops Known Terrorists from Purchasing a Gun
Senator Steve Daines released the following statement after supporting legislation that would take suspected terrorists off the streets. “A known terrorist shouldn’t be able to board a plane or buy a gun,” Daines stated. “By ensuring that we investigate individuals on the terrorist watch list who are trying to buy a gun, we are upholding Americans’ constitutional rights while making our country a safer place.” Daines voted in support of Senator John Cornyn’s (R-TX) proposal that would stop terrorists from buying guns while ensuring law-abiding citizens placed on a watch list by mistake don’t have their Second Amendment rights taken