Issues -- Environment

Environment

In a state like Montana, our lives are defined by our love for the environment. From hiking through Glacier Park, climbing up or skiing down Big Mountain or Big Sky, picnicking in Hyalite Canyon, boating down the Yellowstone and Gallatin Rivers, or hunting and fishing throughout the state, our opportunities in the great outdoors are endless. These lands are part of our Montana Legacy - a legacy that will be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren. It's a top goal of mine to protect our lands for generations to come, while making sure that today's generations have free and open access to enjoy our public lands.

Ways I'm Working to Protect Montana's Environment

• I'll continue to fight to ensure Montanans have access to our public lands and rivers, will protect the habitat of Montana's abundant game, and will uphold the rights of Montana gun owners.

• As a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I helped write the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 that passed the Senate by unanimous vote. The bill will help local governments and private businesses redevelop contaminated sites, such as the White Pines site in Missoula and the Brewery Flats in Lewistown. President Bush signed the bill into law in January of 2002.

• I was proud to help create the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust to improve access for Montana hunters and recreationists to public lands and to purchase conservation easements to protect important fish and wildlife habitat.

• I secured research grants and federal money to fight whirling disease in order to end this threat to Montana's blue-ribbon trout streams, tourism, and economy. I will continue to fight for funding for this important effort.

• As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I put together a package of conservation tax incentives that would help private landowners, including Montana's farmers and ranchers, work together with non-profit organizations, and the state and federal governments, to conserve their land for future generations. That package passed the Senate Finance Committee last year. A nearly identical proposal passed the Senate Finance Committee in February of this year, with my full support as Ranking Member of the Committee. I will do everything I can to secure passage of these important voluntary, incentive-based conservation tools.

• I voted to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge several times last year during the debate over a comprehensive energy bill. I will continue to support efforts to protect the Refuge from development in the 108th Congress and do all that I can to keep drilling in the Refuge out of the energy bill conference report.

• I also introduced an amendment to the energy bill, and later, legislation to help protect Montana's magnificent Rocky Mountain Front from development. My bill would have directed the Secretary of Interior to study ways to trade out oil and gas leases in the Front. At the same time, it would have continued current leasing restrictions in the Front so that Interior could complete its study. I plan to re-introduce my bill in the 108th Congress and do everything that I can to see that it passes the Senate.

• Also as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I put together a package of energy tax incentives that balanced equally incentives for renewable energy and conservation with incentives for more efficient uses of traditional fossil fuel resources. For example, my package extended renewable energy production tax credits for wind energy, and expanded them to include other important renewable sources of energy like solar, biomass, small irrigation hydropower facilities and geothermal energy. I plan to work hard again this year to promote this balanced and affordable energy tax package.

• During the 107th Congress I supported an amendment to require that ten percent of the nation's electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. In a continuing effort to include renewable electricity standards in the Energy Bill, I signed onto a letter to the Chairmen of the energy bill calling for inclusion of this important renewable electricity standard in the energy conference bill currently being written.

Current and Upcoming Environmental Issues in Congress

• In July, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee approved an amended Healthy Forests bill (HR 1904) and sent it to the Senate floor for action by the full Senate. The bill included a provision I sponsored with Senators Leahy and Crapo to help forest industries in rural Montana communities called the Rural Community Forestry Enterprise Program. This new program will help small timber operations in Montana, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, put logs in the log yards, and help create jobs in our timber-dependent communities.

Passing common-sense legislation to help federal agencies reduce the build-up of hazardous fuels that threaten our communities, watershed and wildlife is a top priority for me, and I'm working hard to make sure a balanced Healthy Forests bill passes the Senate.

• The Senate debated a comprehensive energy package this year that has now gone to conference between the House and the Senate. As a member of the conference committee, I will do everything I can to make sure the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and the Rocky Mountain Front are protected from oil and gas development.

• I will work for a balanced energy package. I believe it's high time we supported the development of renewable and alternative sources of energy, like wind, solar, biomass and fuel cells. I also believe we must continue to promote more efficient use of our traditional energy resources, such as oil, gas and coal. This is good for the environment, good for our economy, and it will promote greater energy security for our nation.

Environmental Links

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.epa.gov

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.ferc.gov

Montana Department of Environmental Quality http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.deq.state.mt.us/

U.S. Forest Service http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.fs.fed.us/

The National Park Service http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.nps.gov

Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.fwp.state.mt.us

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.fws.gov

Montana Comes First!