Page 13 - Flathead Beacon // 9.2.15

NEWS
Montana Congressional Delegation, Governor
co
Urge LWCF Reauthorization Conservation fund is set to expire unless Congress acts soon
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
With the deadline looming for one of Montana’s most instrumental fed- eral funding tools, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Gov. Steve Bullock say reauthorizing the measure is vital to maintaining the region’s public lands.
On Sept. 30, the half-century old Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) will expire unless Congress votes to reau- thorize a program that has provided $16 billion for conservation projects, includ- ing about $500 million in Montana, mak- ing the money available for matching grants to buy fish and wildlife habitat and increase access for recreation like hunt- ing and fishing.
Both Tester and Daines have voiced strong support for permanently reautho- rizing LWCF, but it must happen quickly once Congress returns to the hill after the Labor Day holiday.
Tester said he wants to see LWCF reauthorized at the $900 million level that Congress set in 1978, but that’s only
happened twice since the cap was set. “We’re running out of time. The clock is ticking and when it runs out in Septem- ber all these projects are going to stop,” Tester said. “My goal is to make sure we get $900 million in spendable dollars for
conservation in Montana.”
The Land and Water Conservation
Fund collects royalties from federal off- shore oil leases and makes the money available for matching grants to buy fish and wildlife habitat and increase access for recreation like hunting and fishing. Since its inception, the fund has pro- vided $16 billion for conservation proj- ects, including about $500 million in Montana.
The Rails-to-Trails bike and pedes- trian path that stretches from Somers to Kalispell to Kila was funded in part by LWCF funds, as was Kalispell’s Lawrence Park. It has also helped secure approxi- mately 70 percent of the fishing access sites in Montana while securing land in the Swan Valley for hunting.
The delegation has recently ramped
up its support for the bill, S. 338, which was introduced in February by Sen. Rich- ard Burr, R-North Carolina. It would per- manently reauthorize the LWCF, which uses profits from offshore oil and gas developments to fund conservation and land acquisitions across the country.
Bullock recently sent a letter to Tester, Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke urging them to support the reauthorization of LWCF.
“The LWCF has done so much good for our state,” Bullock wrote in the let- ter. “It’s hard to imagine what Montana would be like without it. From fishing access sites to parks and playgrounds, the LWCF has changed the everyday lives of Montanans for the better.”
Montana has received over $237 mil- lion from the LWCF since 2005, Bull- ock said, protecting Montana icons like the Flathead and Gallatin National For- ests. As of 2012, 181,000 working for- estlands have been conserved through LWCF funds, and approximately 165 fishing access sites have been created or improved.
Bullock also pointed to the large eco- nomic benefits to Montana from LWCF funds. Active outdoor recreation con- tributes more than $6 billion each year to the state’s economy and supports 34,000
jobs. [email protected]
“Community banking means
neighbors helping
neighbors.”
“WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND WHEN IT RUNS OUT IN SEPTEMBER ALL THESE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO STOP.”
JON TESTER, MONTANA U.S. SENATOR
- BECCA M.
Valley Development Projects on Track
More than 644,000 square feet of new development expected within two years
BY CLARE MENZEL OF THE BEACON
Within the next two weeks, over 6,000 square feet dedicated to the sale and con- sumption of Buffalo Wild Wings will open for business along U.S. Highway 93 in Kalispell. Within the next two years, over 644,000 more square footage of new construction is scheduled to open across the valley.
Kalispell’s Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner reported on recently completed, new, or planned development and infrastructure prog- ress at an Aug. 26 luncheon for local busi- nesspeople. The various projects, which include everything from new hotels to expanded jails, represent $136.6 million invested into the valley.
If everything goes according to plan, Unterreiner expects many projects to be completed this year. Whitefish Credit Union recently opened a new operations center in Kalispell. In Columbia Falls, Nomad Global Communication Solutions
will complete its expansion and new development in October and Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply will open its new retail store in November.
Whitefish Mountain Resort expects its Summit House renovation, which includes the addition of 1,700 square feet of dining space and a new 800-square- foot ski patrol headquarters, to be com- pleted by October.
Popeye’s Chicken plans to open their doors by the end of the year in Kalispell. Glacier Steel’s new fabrication plant at Kalispell Industrial Park will open in February.
The Flathead County Historic Jail and Juvenile Detention Center will see 9,400 square feet of renovated space and an additional 5,200 square feet by spring 2016. The Flathead County Office South will also open in June of next year.
Unterreiner also expects three new hotels to open for business by 2016’s sum- mer season. The first, SpringHill Suites Marriott, to be completed by May, will be
built on the site of Kalispell’s latest large- scale development, Spring Prairie near Kidsports Complex, which will eventu- ally have 13 other businesses on site. Two others, a Hampton Inn and a downtown boutique hotel, will open in Whitefish. The hotels will provide over 250 rooms to Flathead visitors, increasing the val- ley’s hotel capacity by 10 percent, Unter- reiner said.
Major developments slated for com- pletion in 2017 include the six new multi- use recreation fields at Kidsports Com- plex and the Kalispell Bypass, which is estimated to cost $35 million and will divert U.S. Highway 93 traffic around downtown Kalispell. Developers expect construction to begin one month after the Highway Commission selects the project contractor on Sept. 7.
In two years time, the development near Cabela’s will also be home to a new Discount Tires, Dress Barn, and Chick-Fil-A.
[email protected]
www.T
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
13
community
banking...
What does it mean to you?
b p
m
h