The Hi-Line: Montana’s heartbeat

MAX BAUCUS

I’ve once heard Montana described as a small town with very long streets.  And perhaps the longest street we have is Highway 2.  Traversing the northern part of our state, the Hi-line connects communities in a special way.  From Chester, to Havre, to Glasgow, these communities hold a special bond and are connected by more than a just a stretch of road.  Every time I’m able to visit folks on the Hi-line, it’s great to see what new exciting things are happening up there.  The recent opening of the new Sletten Cancer Center provided yet another example of how the Hiline is thriving.  Delivering For St. Mary’s Serving the heart of the Hi-Line is the St. Mary’s diversion.  The St. Mary’s diversion is vital for folks across the Hi-line.  The diversion provides drinking water for more than 17,000 people, and irrigates more than 150,000 acres.  Built more than 85 years ago, the diversion is in need of major repairs and restoration.  That’s why I’ve continually fought to get funding to help with its reconstruction.  Recently the Senate passed the Water Resource Development Act, or WRDA.  As chairman of the subcommittee that controlled WRDA, I wrote a provision that authorized $140 million for repairs to St. Mary.  While this was the first step in a two step process, this was a major hurdle to clear.  When I was drafting this legislation, I worked closely together with members from the St. Mary’s working group, as well as members of the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap tribes to make sure that we addressed all the different elements and concerns with this project.  With anything this major, I’m a firm believer that we must work together, so that it’s done right the first time.  Working For Hi-line Producers Folks along the Hi-line are no strangers to a hard day’s work.  With its rich agriculture tradition, working the land is part of the fabric of the Hi-line society.  My good friend, Senator Jon Tester, and I always tell folks how important agriculture is along the Hiline, but until you’ve seen the endless stretches of fields, and talked to folks who are fourth, and fifth generation farmers, it’s hard to fully grasp how important the land is to these communities That’s why I’ve continually fought for Montana’s producers.  Whenever I talk to folks about agriculture the first thing that always comes up is this year’s farm bill.  As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture committee, I’ve one goal for this upcoming farm bill: make it right for Montana.  And that’s why I’ve been holding listening sessions across the state, including one at the Duck Inn in Havre last summer and one in Conrad in January to make sure that I can hear directly from the folks who use these programs to find out what works, and what doesn’t.  One area that I’m going to fight tooth and nail for is to make sure that wheat and barley are treated fairly, especially in regards to other commodities.  The money situation is going to be pretty tight with this next farm bill, and anytime the pie is shrunk, so are the slices.  But I know how important these programs are to folks, especially along the Hi-line, and that’s why I’m going to use every tool in my belt to make sure that our producers aren’t given the short end of the stick.  Helping Montana Kids While medical facilities like the new Sletten Center are the best in the world, unfortunately there are too many Montana kids stuck on the outside looking through the window.  I want to break down this barrier and make sure that every Montana child can walk through the doors of these state-of-theart facilities, and receive the care that they deserve.  And one way to achieve this is through the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.  As chairman of the Senate Finance committee, I’ve made CHIP my top health care priority.  Recently we were able to deliver a major victory for children not just in Montana, but for kids across the country, when the Senate accepted my provision that would carve out $50 billion for CHIP in the Senate budget.  The budget is a blueprint for next year’s spending levels, and this would mark the greatest expansion in the program’s history.  As Montanans we’ve be blessed to live in the greatest state, in the greatest country on earth.  And by working together, we can make our great state an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.  Max Baucus is Montana’s senior U.S. senator, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance committee, and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture committee.