Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Montana agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by the wildfires and ongoing, severe drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages. “Production agriculture is vital to the Montana economy, and USDA stands r...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester released a statement Tuesday, August 10, following the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that he and a core group of his colleagues negotiated with the White House. The bill will create good-paying jobs by making urgently-needed investments in Montana’s roads, bridges, high-speed internet, water, and more. “Today a large, bipartisan majority of the Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass my historic legislation that will make critical infrastructure investments in Montana and across the country. I worke...
Representative Rosendale (R-MT) along with Representative Khanna (D-CA) introduced the USA Beef Act to support American ranchers. This legislation is a companion bill to Senator Rounds’ (R-SD) legislation introduced today in the Senate. This bipartisan bill would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to ensure that any beef labeled a “Product of U.S.A.” is in-fact a product exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States. Under current law, meatpackers are allowed to import cattle raised in foreign countries, slaughter and packag...
U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced he will vote against the $1.2 trillion package moving through the Senate after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis showing the bill will increase the federal debt by $256 billion. Daines’ announcement comes after Montanans and the American people were promised the bill would be fully paid for and not increase the debt, during and after negotiations. “Montanans were told and promised that this massive, 2,700-page bill would not increase the debt. Unfortunately, according to Con...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced August 30th the extension, through Sept. 30, of the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA. “The United States is still reeling from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA is taking this important action today to allow individuals and families who face eviction from homes purchased with USDA Single-Family Housing loans more time to maintain safe and stable housing, whether it’s in their current homes, or by...
After weeks of negotiations with the White House and a bipartisan group of nine other Senators, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that he had secured a deal on historic infrastructure legislation that would create good-paying jobs and boost Montana’s economy by making urgently-needed investments in Montana’s roads, bridges, broadband, water, and more. “I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a bipartisan deal on a historic bill that will upgrade Montana’s aging infrastructure, create-good paying jobs, and help us maintain our competitive e...
At a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing, U.S. Senator Steve Daines urged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to listen to the science of her own agency officials, delist the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), and return management back to the state of Montana. “While these two recovered populations languish on the Endangered Species list, conflicts with grizzlies are on the rise—Montana has seen two tragic fatalities already this year,” Daines said. “Montana has...
Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order declaring a statewide wildland fire emergency in Montana. “Montana faces critical fire conditions that pose significant threats to our communities, infrastructure, first responders, and way of life,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As our firefighters battle active fires across the state with more to come, this executive order helps ensure they have the suppression resources, supplies, and fuel they need to safely and aggressively respond.” As of July 14, nearly 1,400 wildland fires have burned...
Amid a historic drought gripping Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that impacted Montana farmers and ranchers will begin receiving financial and technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA also announced that, following a Tester push, emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres may be authorized to provide additional relief to producers. “Montana is experiencing one of the worst droughts in my lifetime—Sharla and I see it on our farm and I’ve heard from family farme...
Amid a dangerous start to an early fire season, U.S. Senator Jon Tester this week introduced his bipartisan Volunteer First Responder Housing Act to expand eligibility for qualified volunteer first responders to participate in certain federal housing assistance programs and provide a greater incentive for more volunteers to stay and continue to serve their communities. In Montana, more than 93% of fire departments are made up of volunteer or mostly volunteer firefighters. These fire departments rely on volunteers to provide a wide array of...
Following his direct appeal to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make investments in new meat processing facilities, U.S. Senator Jon Tester celebrated the USDA announcement that it would invest $500 million in meat and poultry capacity building with the goals of increasing choice and negotiation options for producers as well as $100 million in relief through a fee waiver for inspection and overtime fees for small and medium processors. This funding is provided through the American...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is holding a targeted signup to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry through voluntary conservation practices in 10 states, including Montana. This assistance, available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), will help agricultural producers plan and implement voluntary conservation practices that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change on working lands. Signup in Montana opens on July 1, 2021, with an application...
Governors Greg Gianforte of Montana and Brad Little of Idaho urged President Biden to commit to an “active, responsive” partnership with states in wildfire response, wildfire preparedness, and active forest management. Govs. Gianforte and Little sent their message to the president ahead of his meeting with some western governors to discuss the federal government’s response to wildfires. Despite facing severe wildfire seasons, Montana and Idaho are two of three western states President Biden did not invite to participate. The Biden admin...
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential environmental impacts from a proposed tailing reprocessing project at the Golden Sunlight Mine (GSM). GSM is located approximately five miles northeast of Whitehall, Montana in Jefferson County. The draft statement is available for review at the Whitehall Community Library during regular business hours. Public comment is open from June 15, 2021 to July 2021. The DEQ hosted a public meeting on Tuesday, June 29th where...
U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, introduced the “Lower Costs, More Cures Act,” which will support Montanans by lowering prescription drug prices, increasing transparency in the complex prescription drug pricing process and encouraging American ingenuity in the development of new treatments and cures. “Year after year, Montanans continue to face out of control prescription drugs costs. Folks in Montana and across the country should not have to choose between putting food on their table...
As a part of his years long fight to increase local meat processing capacity in Montana and reduce consolidation in the meatpacking industry, U.S. Senator Jon Tester has secured $55.2 million in competitive grand funding that will provide critical resources for currently operating processing facilities that are working toward Federal inspection. “In order to break the stranglehold that large packers have on the marketplace, we have to bolster local processing capacity and increase competition—that’s exactly what these dollars will do,” said Tes...
The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing property classification and appraisal notices to all owners of residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural land properties, showing their market and taxable values for the 2021-2022 two-year valuation cycle. These notices are not tax bills. They include the department’s determination of market or productivity value for your property and will be used by your county treasurer to determine the property taxes owed. “It’s important that Montana property owners review this information thoro...
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Karama Neal unveiled a new grant program to help rural communities create good-paying jobs and support new business opportunities in high-growth fields. Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) is intended to help rural communities identify and maximize local assets and connect to networks and industry clusters within their region. The new grant encourages a regional, innovation-driven approach to economic development. “USDA is i...
With record-breaking heat and dry fuels conditions keeping firefighters nervously eyeing the horizon for smoke plumes, the North Hills near Helena are particularly vulnerable to the smallest spark. The area is still reeling from the 2019 fire which ripped through 5,000 acres—a fire that was caused by an individual illegally shooting exploding targets. With that in mind, the Bureau of Land Management is putting fire restrictions in place on BLM-administered lands within the North Hills. The restrictions begin at 12:01 a.m. June 18. The f...
As part of his ongoing work to keep Montanans connected to boost the economy, several commonsense provisions championed by U.S. Senator Jon Tester to cut red tape and improve infrastructure in the transportation industry cleared the Senate Commerce Committee this week, including a critical portion of Tester’s Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety (HAULS) Act that will give ag and livestock haulers the flexibility in hours they need to safely deliver their products to market. Tester successfully attached the provisions to improve safety at...
Representative Rosendale introduced the Expanding Access to Mental Health Services Act, which would permanently broaden mental health options, including intake examinations and therapy, via telehealth for Americans on Medicare. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare offered limited options for telehealth, and during the pandemic the Trump administration temporarily expanded telehealth options to help those who were vulnerable to COVID-19 maintain access to the medical treatment they needed. This bill would expand Medicare...
The ARPA Infrastructure Advisory Commission will hold a virtual meeting Monday, June 28, 2021, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be live-streamed at leg.mt.gov. To join the meeting via Zoom, please email Shawna Swanz at Shawna.swanz@mt.gov to register. During the June 28 meeting, the Commission will discuss public comments received regarding match requirements for water and sewer projects, any program updates, and commission meetings. The Infrastructure Advisory Commission is responsible for reviewing applications for water and sewer grants and state...
June is PTSD Awareness Month. Though most often associated with veterans who experienced atrocities of war, anyone, including children and teens, can suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children typically recover quickly from stressful events, but when it comes to severe stress, especially serious injuries, the death of a close family member or friend, sexual assault, living through a disaster, or witnessing a violent act such as a school shooting, children can often suffer the long-term effects of PTSD. The National Center for P...
Public access along the lower Yellowstone River is a rare commodity. However, a new committee convened by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and sponsored by Gov. Greg Gianforte is looking to improve access here and as a result protect fish and wildlife habitat and provide for more outdoor recreation opportunities. “The lower Yellowstone is a unique Montana treasure with some of our most important agriculture lands, thriving rural communities and amazing hunting and fishing opportunities,” said Gov. Gianforte. “We’re looking to engage a broad c...
Governor Greg Gianforte launched a website as part of the administration's new campaign to encourage Montanans, who have moved to other states, to come back home to Montana. "For too long, Montana's most valuable export has been our kids and grandkids," Gov. Gianforte said. "Our quality of life is second to none, and we're reminding former residents of what a great place Montana is to live, work, and raise a family. We're growing opportunities and creating an environment so more Montanans can...
