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Senator Conrad Burns’ Montana eNewsLetter – Friday, September 23, 2005 version 5, edition 4

Passage of Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill

On Thursday I praised the passage of the Fiscal Year 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, calling it a fiscally responsible bill that addresses important national priorities. I’m pleased to tell you that Montana is slated to receive more than $24,922,000 in federal funding through this bill. Montana is an ag-powered state and these funds will go toward research, value-added marketing, and other important aspects of our agricultural economy. In these difficult budget times, we had some tough decisions to make. The funds in this bill will to towards housing, nutrition, and rural development. In addition, we provide the resources, incentives, and research necessary to keep our farmers and ranchers at the forefront of the industry, strengthening our economy. I was also pleased to see the Senate reject the House’s misguided attempts to further delay country of origin labeling. Our producers deserve to be able to market their products as ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ I intend to keep working to protect COOL as we go through the process, and see it implemented. For more information, as well as a complete list of the Montana specific projects included in this bill, please visit the press release section of my website by going to: http://www.burns.senate.gov.

Military Construction For Montana Tops $90 Million

I’m pleased to announce that on Thursday, $90,177,000 in construction projects for the military in Montana had received final approval by the full Senate. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding totals nearly $83 Billion for Fiscal Year 2006, and includes increases to Veterans benefits by $1.5 Billion over 2005, and increases to Veterans health care by nearly $4 Billion over 2005. Our men and women in the armed services deserve the best in facilities and equipment. Malmstrom AFB continues to grow and improve, and our National Guard facilities have brought our folks from their old, world war two era installations into the twenty-first century. It is also important to note that Malmstrom AFB is one of the youngest bases in the nation, based on average age of the personnel, which makes this new fitness facility even more important. Our troops deserve no less, and I’m pleased we were able to include this funding in the Senate version. I am also proud to see we are continuing to increase funding to my fellow veterans, who put their lives on the line for our freedom, and deserve not only our gratitude, but deserve to be taken care of once they return home.

Funds to Develop Red Lodge Tourism

I’m pleased to announce that Red Lodge will receive a $100,000 investment to help create an economic adjustment strategy to enhance its position as a tourist destination and coordinate local safety of tourists. These funds are coming from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program. Red Lodge and the neighboring communities are open for business. We here in Montana know it, but we need to get the word out to the tourists coming in both this year and next: Even though the Beartooth Highway is undergoing repair, there’s still plenty to do and see in this beautiful part of our country. It’s important to the businesses in the region we combat any notion that they’ve shuttered their windows. As a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, I was also able to help secure $250,000 from the Big Sky Economic Development Authority. Those funds went to the Red Lodge Chamber of Commerce to promote the region in the immediate wake of the Beartooth Highway closure.

Funds Fighting Veteran Homelessness

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded 72 grants across the nation worth nearly $14 million to public and private non-profit groups for programs assisting homeless veterans. Included in this funding is $312,000 for the acquisition and renovation of a building at 1112 Leslie, Helena, MT to create transitional housing that will provide 12 beds for homeless veterans and a service center that will provide 25 contacts with veterans per month. At this moment in our nation’s history, there is no better time to honor those who made great sacrifices and endured great hardship on behalf freedom. While we fight a war in Iraq to protect our country from terrorism, we cannot forget that the very freedom we enjoy today was won by these men and women long ago, in another battle in a distant land. It is my privilege to have worked with these heroes and it is my great honor to be able to present them with funding to aid in their lives here at home. VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country. It is the only federal agency that provides substantial one-on-one contact with the homeless. In many cities and rural areas, including Helena, VA social workers and other clinicians conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments, medical treatment, alcohol and drug abuse counseling and employment assistance. More information about VA’s homeless programs is available on the Internet at http://www.va.gov/homeless.

BNSF reinstates 52-car trains

After strongly criticizing the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) railway for jeopardizing local grain elevators, I appreciate their decision yesterday to reinstate tariffs for 52-car trains in Montana, effective October 1. The new rate will be $200 per railcar over the shuttle rate, a spread of about 5.8 cents per bushel for wheat, and applies to wheat shipments of 52-109 car unit trains to the Pacific Northwest export market. I heard from numerous county commissioners who were concerned about losing jobs in their communities, if 52-car facilities were put out of business. As a former county commissioner myself, I know firsthand how important each job is in these small towns. BNSF made the right decision by keeping the 52s a viable option for our grain shipments. If we started losing local elevators, then farmers might have to truck their shipments to a nearby shuttle loader. With fuel prices as high as they are, farmers just can’t bear that burden – and the impact on local county roads could have been severe. This is a real victory for our farmers. I urged BSNF to reconsider this decision, and I am pleased to hear that the railroad was willing to sit down with actual Montana farmers and resolve these concerns. I applaud their willingness to respond to our growers.

ICBM Summit

This week I attended a Senate ICBM Coalition Summit Meeting today to discuss the modernization of the Minuteman III systems, the path of the Quadrennial Defense Review and the possible direction of the next generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Along with some of my other missile state Senators, I also signed a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld regarding these same issues. In the letter, we urge Rumsfeld to continue support for the Nuclear Posture Review’s conclusion that 500 nuclear-armed Minutemen III missiles will be necessary through at least 2020. Letters were also sent to the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations, which are the committees responsible for the policy and funding of these issues. Our ICBM force is a critical element of the nuclear triad and represents our most responsive, stabilizing, and cost-effective strategic force. In the coming weeks, the Department of Defense (DOD) will finalize the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which is looking at possible changes to our nation’s ICBM force. Some reports reveal these may include re-MIRVing the Minuteman force, reducing the number of nuclear-armed missiles or shifting some ICBMs from nuclear to conventional warheads. Some of these developments raise troubling issues for the nation and may set us on a path toward dismantling the nuclear triad. It is critical to U.S. national security that we maintain the balanced nuclear force structure envisioned by the 2002 Nuclear Proliferation Review and codified in the Moscow Treaty. A gradual reduction to a total of 1,700 – 2,200 warheads by 2012 is the right policy. We believe that the QDR should affirm these targets. The strategic nuclear forces that deterred Soviet aggression and kept the limited conflicts of the Cold War era from escalating to global annihilation continue to play a critical role in deterring aggression and dissuading new near-peer competitors. There are still threats out there, which our ICBMs continue to successfully deter, and I feel that our land-based leg is more important to our country’s national security than ever. Malmstrom AFB and the people there continue to play an important role in ensuring the safety and security of families across this country.

RECA Hearings

I recently wrote a letter to Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Arlen Specter, to request he hold hearings on S. 977, the “Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2005.” The impact of radiation exposure in Montana is overwhelmingly clear. Rates of thyroid cancer in Montana have increased to frightening levels over the past decades, and victims have been suffering for too long. If the compensation provided by RECA is important for folks in other states, it is just as important for folks in Montana. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was enacted in 1990 to offer payments to civilians who lived in states designated “downwind” from Nuclear Bomb Tests, and who contracted specific types of cancer, particularly thyroid cancer, years after their exposure to Iodine-131. A 1997, a study by the National Cancer Institute revealed that Montana is home to 15 counties in the country with the highest Iodine-131 exposure, but affected counties in Montana are not currently eligible for compensation through RECA. The National Academy of Sciences recently issued a report detailing the fact that Montana is one of the worst affected states by the nuclear testing. Burns’ bill would amend RECA to include Montanans who have been afflicted with thyroid and other various cancers related to radiation exposure. To receive compensation the claimant must have lived downwind of atmospheric nuclear tests in the state of Montana for a period of at least two years during the period beginning on January 21, 1951, and ending on October 31, 1958 and, after the period of physical presence, the claimant contracted one of the specified diseases. It is clear that Montana has been wrongfully neglected, and I look forward to hearings on this issue so we can move forward to enact this amendment and begin to compensate the Montanans who have been affected by this tragedy.

Fire Funds for Miles City, Ekalaka, Darby and Baker

On Wednesday I announced four fire fighting grants for Montana through the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Awards Program. The Miles City Fire Department will receive $86,064, the Ekalaka Volunteer Fire Department will receive $92,103, the West Fork Volunteer Fire District will receive $18,539, and the Baker Volunteer Fire District will receive $71,250, all for Firefighter Operations and Safety. This funding will give our local firefighters a big boost, and I think everyone in Montana will agree that they deserve it after all the work they did this summer. These grants will allow communities to improve their fire stations, buy new fire trucks, or even hire additional personnel. This is a great big ‘thank you’ to the men and women who protected our homes, but it is also a necessary step toward making us safer from fires in the future. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), administers the Assistance for Fire Fighters Grant Program. The program assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. A list of current award recipients announced to date is posted on the USFA web site at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/grants/. Future grant recipients will be listed as awards are made.

Can You Negotiate the Best Deal?

Inventors come to a fork in the road when it’s time to decide whether to manufacture their innovations themselves or license it to an outsider. That’s why the Montana Department of COmmerce Small Business Innovative Research Outreach Program is hosting their "Licensing Your Innovation" workshop on October 4, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This six hour workshop will help you develop theknowledge and skills needed to understand the licensing agreement process and to make informed decisions. Workshop presenter Marti Elder is a seasoned licensing agent and commercialization consultant who, as principle of her Bozeman-based company, has worked with clients in Montana, throughout the nation and internationally. For more information, please point your web browser to: http://sbir.mt.gov/Licensing_Missoula_Jun21_05_Conf_Details.asp

Military Service Academy Nominations

Each year I look forward to another round of nominations for bright, young Montana students wanting to attend our U.S. Service Academies. As a former Marine, and now as your United States Senator, I enjoy the opportunity to assist those future American leaders who want to attend a U.S. Service Academy. If you are, or know of, a young man or woman interested in a top-of-the-line education and a commission to the United States Armed Forces, please contact my Academy Advisor, Lisa Wheeler, at (406) 723-3277 or (800) 344-1513. The deadline is November 1st for the following years entering class. For more information, visit my website by going to: http://www.senate.gov/~burns/index.cfm?.FuseAction=Academies.Home.

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