Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 549 - 573 of 626
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...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced four commissions to provide recommendations for allocating federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The commissions – focusing on infrastructure, communications, economic stabilization/workforce, and health care – are comprised of three members of the Montana Senate, three to four members of the Montana House of Representatives, and three appointees from the executive branch. The commissions, their purposes, and their members are: Infrastructure Advisory Commission: The Infrastructure Advisory Com...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) published the first notice of funding availability (NOFA) (PDF, 242 KB) announcing loan payments for eligible borrowers with qualifying direct farm loans under the American Rescue Plan Act Section 1005. The official NOFA will be published in the Federal Register early next week and USDA expects payments to begin in early June and continue on a rolling basis. A subsequent notice addressing guaranteed loan balances and direct loans that no longer have collateral and have been previously...
Gov. Gianforte signed House Bill 701 which implements Montana's adult-use recreational marijuana program and authorizes the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment (HEART) Fund. The governor released the following statement on signing HB 701: "Since January, we've been focused on implementing the will of Montana voters in a safe, responsible, and appropriately regulated manner. House Bill 701 accomplishes this," Gov. Gianforte said. "From the start, I've been clear that we...
As the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Heath Care, Senator Steve Daines, on Wednesday, May 12th, led a hearing on improving mental health and addiction services in our communities, where he highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana. “May is Mental Health Awareness Month – an issue at the top of my mind and many others following a year of isolation for Montanans and Americans across the country,” Daines said. “Since the pandemic, lockdowns, economic hardships, and social isolation have only helped...
