In May and July of this year, Senator Steve Daines proposed three pieces of legislation aimed to keep Montana mining operations alive, as well as to provide needed revenue for the Crow Tribe. Several local legislators and mayors are planning to speak at a rally in Roundup on Friday, September 27 in support of these proposals.
The Crow Revenue Act (S.4444) in conjunction with Senate bills 4431 and 4432 would enact a land swap between the Crow Reservation and the federal government, allow Signal Peak Energy to mine the land then owned by the Crow Tribe by reinstating Signal Peak’s federal mine permit, and enforce a revenue sharing agreement between the two. All three bills have only Daines as a sponsor, but have been discussed in hearings of their respective Senate committees.
Frank White Clay, the Chairman of the Crow Tribe, penned a letter in May in support of this bill, saying “On behalf of the Crow Tribe of Indians, I would like to express our support of the Crow revenue Act. As you are aware, this legislation fixes long-standing inholdings on our Reservation and provides our tribe with much needed revenue.” Parker Phipps, President and CEO of Signal Peak Energy, also wrote a letter in support of the bill, writing that SPE “fully supports the Crow Revenue Act” and that “SPE greatly appreciates [Daines’s] continued commitment to economic growth for all Montanans.”
The rally, which will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Friday, will be hosted by Roundup Mayor Sandra Jones. The agenda is still tentative, but expected speakers include State Senator Duane Ankney and Colstrip Mayor John Williams. Staff members from the offices of Governor Gianforte, Senator Daines, and Representative Rosendale’s office will be in attendance. Organizers of the event had not heard back from Senator Tester’s office as of Monday afternoon. State Representatives Gary Perry, Greg Oblander, and Kerri Seekins-Crow are expected to speak as well.
Upon request for comment by Yellowstone County News, Phipps said the following:
“I want to thank Mayor Johnson from Roundup for hosting the Support Montana Coal Rally. She understands the importance that coal has on Eastern Montana communities and what the revenues do for local and regional areas.”
