Montana’s national forests to receive more than $48 million

Stimulus money will create jobs through wildfire management, road improvements, mine cleanup

Montana’s national forests will receive an additional $48 million to create jobs by improving roads, cleaning up abandoned mines and reducing wildfire risk on forest lands, Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced tonight.

The $48,286,300 will be used for the following jobs:

• Wildfire management and forest health: $7,221,300
• Wildfire management for state-owned and private lands: $9,152,000
• Abandoned mine cleanup, road construction, etc.: $31,913,000

The $48 million announced tonight is only part of the stimulus funding Montana is expected to receive. Baucus and Tester expect to announce additional funding next week for projects such as Forest Service buildings and forest trails.

This funding is in addition to the approximately $1 billion Montana is already receiving from the federal stimulus plan, which Baucus and Tester call the Jobs Bill. The Jobs Bill is also delivering more than $500 million in tax relief to Montana residents.

Baucus and Tester helped write, supported and voted for the Jobs Bill earlier this year.

Earlier today, the Senators announced that five ports of entry along Montana’s northern border with Canada will receive an estimated $77 million for new construction.

On Wednesday, Baucus and Tester announced the Jobs Bill will provide an additional $60 million to help build the Ft. Peck/Dry Prairie Rural Water System and the Rocky Boys/North Central Regional Water System—projects which will create jobs and invest in clean, reliable drinking water for tens of thousands of Montanans.