Tag: EPA

Daines Urges Biden Admin to Expedite Cleanup, Provide Transparency on the Stillwater Train Derailment

Sends Letter to EPA Seeking Answers in Response to Reports of Contaminated Fish in the Yellowstone River U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to the Biden administration after concerning reports from the Montana Fish Consumption Advisory Board of potentially contaminated fish in the Yellowstone River following the Stillwater train derailment in June.  “The Montana Fish Consumption Advisory Board, made up of members of the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) recently released a consumption advisory on all mountain whitefish caught in the Yellowstone River

Daines, Hoeven Demand EPA Rescind Rule That Would Force Colstrip to Shut Down

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines (Mont.) and John Hoeven (N.D.) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan demanding the EPA’s proposed Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) be reversed. The MATS proposed rule would force the Colstrip Generating Station to close, and as forty-two percent of Montana’s electricity comes from coal-fired plants, Colstrip’s closure would kill good-paying jobs, decrease grid reliability and increase in energy costs for Montanans. “We write to express our strong concerns regarding the proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2023. EPA’s proposed rule will threaten grid reliability and drive

Daines Applauds SCOTUS Decision to Roll Back Government Overreach, Reaffirm Landowners’ Rights

U.S. SENATE – Senator Daines today released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to side with private property owners Michael and Chantell Sackett in Sackett vs. the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and narrow the scope of the federal government’s regulatory authority over “waters of the United States.”            “Today the Supreme Court helped put Montana farmers and ranchers more in charge of the decisions about their own land, ripping it away from unelected Washington bureaucrats. Our farmers and ranchers feed the country and the world and should not have to fear an overbearing federal government making decisions about their land for

Daines: We Need to Finalize Cleanup at Montana Superfund Sites, Protect Communities from Asbestos

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today pressed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a U.S. Senate Hearing on the need to finalize restoration and cleanup at Montana’s Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda Smelter Co. Superfund Sites. Daines specifically stressed the need for a natural stream in Butte and for a firm commitment from Wheeler that the Anaconda site will be secure into perpetuity. Download video HERE At the hearing, Daines also pressed Wheeler on the status of EPA’s current risk evaluation of asbestos. “My communities in Montana are eager for progress… we’ve known for a while the dangers

Senate Western Caucus Applauds Andrew Wheeler’s Confirmation as EPA Administrator

U.S. SENATE – Today, U.S. Senate Western Caucus Chairman Steve Daines (Mont.) and Caucus Members Senators Mike Rounds (S.D.), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), John Boozman (Ark.), John Barrasso (Wyo.) celebrated the confirmation of Andrew Wheeler as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Having worked with Administrator Wheeler both in Montana and DC, he takes a commonsense approach to solving issues important to Montana and other states,” Daines said. “I look forward to continuing to partner with Administrator Wheeler to protect our environment in Montana, finalize and clean up our superfund sites in Butte, Anaconda, Libby and other

Daines Defends Montana Farmers, Ranchers and Land Owners

U.S. SENATE —Senator Steve Daines today worked to defend Montana farmers, ranchers and land owners from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) greatly expanded Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Senate Democrats once again blocked efforts to stop President Obama’s WOTUS rule that is a direct threat to Montana’s agriculture and natural resources industries, jobs and water rights. “It is shameful that once again Senate Democrats would rather defend President Obama’s overreaching policies than stand up for hardworking farmers, ranchers and land owners,” Daines stated. “Montanans who live and work on the land every day know how to best manage our state’s resources

Daines Joins 34 Senators, 171 Representatives in Filing Amicus Brief, Urge Circuit Court to Block EPA Attempt to Transform the Nation’s Electricity Sector

U.S. SENATE — Senator Steve Daines today joined 34 Senators and 171 House Members in filing an amicus brief in the case of State of West Virginia, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al. The bipartisan amicus brief is in support of petitions filed by 27 states, including Montana, seeking to overturn the EPA final rule identified as the Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602, 80 Fed. Reg. 64,662 (Oct. 23, 2015), also known as the “Clean Power Plan.”  A copy of the brief can be found here.  As Senators and Representatives duly elected to serve in the Congress of the

Daines Travels to Alaska for Senate Energy Field Hearing

 U.S. SENATE — This week, Senator Steve Daines traveled to Alaska to participate in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources field hearing to examine opportunities for innovation in America’s energy industry.   Daines was joined by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Angus King (I-ME), in addition to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, who testified at the hearing. Daines with Murkowski as they prepare to head out from Anchorage to Bethel, Alaska. Click here to watch.  Daines, Moniz and fellow senators traveled to Bethel, Alaska where the field hearing would be held. Click here to watch.

Daines Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Issue Nationwide Stay on Clean Power Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court decision to issue a nationwide stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan – successfully blocking implementation of the plan while it’s being challenged in court.   “The Supreme Court decision to issue a nationwide stay on the Obama administration’s misguided, job-killing rule is great news for Montana. The so-called Clean Power Plan will kill Montana jobs and leads our country in the wrong direction—away from being an energy leader,” Daines stated. “I appreciate Attorney General Tim Fox’s continued leadership to fight these anti-coal regulations. While

Daines, Gillibrand Call on Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to Act on Their Bill to Help Thousands of “Blue Water” Vietnam Vets

Senators’ Call Follows VA Officials’ Refusal to Reverse Ruling to Extend VA Benefits to “Blue Water” Vets  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today called on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to immediately take up their legislation to ensure “Blue Water” Navy veterans are made eligible for service-connected disability Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and health care as a result of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War. Daines’ and Gillibrand’s call follows a request urging the VA to reverse a 2002 rule excluding “Blue Water” veterans from the VA benefits to which they should be entitled.