Congressman Denny Rehberg

November 24. 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg (R), today assailed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prematurely announcing an inconclusive discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) last week that was overturned yesterday after more thorough testing. Rehberg, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, today urged Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman to initiate an investigation by the agency’s independent Inspector General.

“Yesterday the domestic beef industry dodged another bullet when the third inconclusive BSE test was officially announced as being negative,” Rehberg said, referring to the premature announcement of an inconclusive BSE discovery that it dismissed yesterday. “This incident still created damaging effects.”

The latest episode is the third such inconclusive case of so-called “mad cow disease” announced and subsequently dismissed by USDA. Earlier this year, the agency twice announced separate cases in which preliminary tests presented inconclusive indications of mad cow disease. Later, the agency announced more accurate and thorough testing proved negative.

“I can understand the administration’s desire to be completely transparent with their testing protocol and upfront about the ongoing investigation. However, this most recent case, along with the first two inconclusive cases resulted in reduced market prices,” Rehberg said, “Millions of dollars were lost due to a governmental action rather than a marketplace action.”

The USDA has already approved a single, more thorough test, which is currently in use in other countries. Yielding no false positives, the test renders a final, absolute answer within hours.

“I am troubled that USDA persists in employing a test that continues to throw a “question mark” into the marketplace when they have approved a technology that will result in a resounding “period,” Rehberg said. “I respectfully request you initiate an Inspector General’s investigation into USDA’s BSE testing protocol and the market impacts of these inconclusive BSE cases.”

LETTER ATTACHED
# # #

November 24, 2004

The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Veneman,

Yesterday the domestic beef industry dodged another bullet when the third inconclusive BSE test was officially announced as being negative. The announcement was a blessing for the industry and prevented further negative impacts. However, this incident still created damaging effects.

I can understand the administration’s desire to be completely transparent with their testing protocol and upfront about the ongoing investigation. However, this most recent case, along with the first two inconclusive cases resulted in reduced market prices. Millions of dollars were lost due to a governmental action rather than a marketplace action.

I am aware that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved several “quick tests” for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). At least one of these testing manufacturers guarantees their test will not exhibit inconclusive cases or false positives. I am troubled that USDA persists in employing a test that continues to throw a “question mark” into the marketplace when they have approved a technology that will result in a resounding “period.”

I respectfully request you initiate an Inspector General’s investigation into USDA’s BSE testing protocol and the market impacts of these cases.

I thank you for your attention to this matter and do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Denny Rehberg
Member of Congress

cc: Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General

November 20, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today hailed efforts that were successful in defeating opponents’ eleventh-hour plot to repeal mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Opponents of the law, slated to go into effect in 2006, failed to attach an amendment to the omnibus spending bill that would have effectively ended COOL.

Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is safe for another day,” Rehberg, COOL’s leading advocate in the House, said. “This is a tremendous victory for producers and an obvious win for American consumers who deservedly want to know where their steaks and hamburgers are from.”

The move came days after Rehberg sent out an “action alert,” urging agriculture industry leaders and individuals to fight for mandatory labeling after opponents signaled their intent to eviscerate the program in the omnibus spending bill this week. In letters to national agriculture organizations and to Montana farmers and ranchers, Rehberg urged a “strong, grassroots effort” to compel key Senators to resist efforts to weaken the mandatory labeling requirement.

“Producers and the public answered the call. They made it clear they want to preserve mandatory Country of Origin Labeling,” Rehberg, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, explained. “With their help we turned back yet another effort by opponents of mandatory labeling to gut this common sense program.”

The 2002 Farm Bill required meat, fish and produce be labeled with their country of origin beginning September 30 of this year. Last year, COOL opponents failed to strip funding from the program, but managed to stall its delay by two years. Currently, mandatory labeling is slated to begin in 2006.

“The opponents of mandatory COOL know they do not have the votes on the House floor to win so they are now making a backdoor attempt to gut COOL through the appropriations process,” Rehberg said in a November 17 letter to industry leaders, and in an open letter to Montanans. The letters were accompanied by a list of key Senators needed to oppose the amendment. “A strong, grassroots effort telling these members how strongly we support mandatory COOL is critical in the fight to preserve the program.”

November 20, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today lauded Congressional passage of legislation extending expiring federal water contracts with the City of Helena and other southwest Montana water users. Rehberg’s measure, which passed the House September 28, was added to the omnibus appropriations bill. The measure extends the current water contracts until environmental reviews can be completed allowing the Bureau of Reclamation and water users to negotiate new, long-term contracts.

“I’m obviously pleased the legislation was put into the spending bill. In September, about 40 producers back in Montana told me they needed this legislation. In just 21 days, we were able to get it introduced, hold a hearing, see it approved by the U.S. House of Representatives,” Rehberg, a member of the House Resources Committee said. “We had difficulty getting the Senate’s attention on the bill until Senator Burns added to the omnibus spending bill in time for today’s final vote.”

For the past decades, the water use contracts have supplied drinking water to 30 percent of Helena, as well as water for irrigation to producers in the Helena Valley, Toston, and East Bench Irrigation Districts, and the Clark Canyon Water Supply Company.

“It was very clear…that Congressman Rehberg had a good grasp of the issue and the water user’s concerns,” said Helena Attorney John Bloomquist (406-431-7082), who represents the water users, and testified at the September 9 hearing before the House Resources Committee. “[H]e explained the need for the legislation very clearly to the committee.”

Current law requires the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to do an extensive review before new contracts are put in place, but a delay in initiating the renewal process has put the contracts in danger of expiring prior to renewal. Rehberg’s measure will extend the water use contracts at least two years beyond the deadline, or until new long term contracts with the BOR can be executed.

“This is obviously good news for the Helena-area water users, who needed us to provide the extra time for the federal government to satisfy its requirement to collect all the technical reviews before initiating the new contracts,” Rehberg explained said.

November 18, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, urged House leaders to increase funding this winter for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In a letter to Appropriations Chairman Bill Young (R-FL) and Ranking Member David Obey (R-WI), Rehberg requested the panel add an “emergency” $600 million in LIHEAP funding to the pending omnibus spending bill.
“With higher heating prices forecast for this winter, we simply must bolster this important program to meet those rising costs,” Rehberg said. “LIHEAP is especially vital to low-income families in our state who face their greatest need during Montana’s cold winters. Without an increase to meet the expected higher costs, the LIHEAP shortfall could leave many low-income Montanans without heat or electricity this winter.”

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is essential to low-income, working families throughout the nation. In Montana, LIHEAP currently provides approximately $13 million annually. The additional $600 million in LIHEAP funding would be designated as “emergency” spending.

“The need for emergency funding for LIHEAP grows more pressing each day,” Rehberg wrote. “It is likely that without additional funding the states’ low-income heating assistance programs will run out of money well before the end of the winter.”

LETTER ATTACHED

# # #

November 16, 2004

The Honorable Bill Young The Honorable David Obey

Chairman Ranking Member

House Appropriations Committee House Appropriations Committee

H-218, The Capitol 1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Obey:

As you work with your Senate counterparts to complete action on Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations legislation, we write to urge you to take action to help reduce the burden that the high cost of energy is taking on working families. Specifically, we request that you include $600 million in emergency funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

LIHEAP includes both a basic grant program to states and emergency funding. By designating an additional $600 million in LIHEAP funding as “emergency” spending, the Congress can make clear that the current home heating outlook for this winter constitutes a true national emergency.

The need for emergency funding for LIHEAP grows more pressing each day. With heating oil prices above $2 per gallon, it is estimated that it will cost about $1,309 for a Northeastern family using home heating oil to heat their homes ­– about $356 over last year’s costs. This year’s projected increase is of particular concern since last year’s average LIHEAP grant totaled only $313. Sadly, the news is no better for Midwestern consumers, who rely heavily upon natural gas and propane. According to the Department of Energy, the cost of propane heating will be $1,443 (a 26% increase over last winter), and the cost of natural gas heating will be $1003 (a 47% increase). Compared to the winters between 1998 and 2000, the prices of propane and natural gas have increased by 50% and 48%, respectively. We believe that the rapid rise in home heating costs constitutes an emergency, and the federal government must respond in kind.

We are grateful to you for including $2.011 billion in funding for LIHEAP in the House-passed Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. However, this amount is more than $1 billion below the program’s authorized live. Further, it is likely that without additional funding the states’ low-income heating assistance programs will run out of money well before the end of the winter. Without this additional funding, a mere 13 percent of the more than 34.6 million applicants will receive LIHEAP assistance. For those lucky enough to participate in LILHEAP, the program is a lifesaver. According to a survey conducted last winter, LIHEAP helped restore heat to 62 percent of those who lost it last year because they could not pay their bills. Fifty-four percent of recipients would have kept their homes at an unsafe temperature without LIHEAP, and 48 percent would have had their electricity or heat shut off.

Finally, it has come to our attention that some activated National Guard and Reserve enlisted soldiers and their families may be eligible for assistance but will not receive it because states do not have sufficient funds to meet anticipated requests. We believe that deserving families of men and women serving in harm’s way should not have to face the prospect of a winter without adequate heating.

We appreciate the difficult task you face in compiling omnibus appropriations legislation, and we thank you for your attention to this vital request.

Sincerely

November 17, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent out an “action alert,” urging agriculture industry leaders and individuals to fight for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) whose mandatory status is threatened as the 2005 Agriculture spending bill nears completion. In letters to national agriculture organizations and to Montana farmers and ranchers, Rehberg urged a “strong, grassroots effort” to compel key Senators to resist efforts to weaken the mandatory labeling requirement.

“This is about preserving mandatory Country of Origin Labeling,” Rehberg explained. “Those who oppose mandatory labeling have signaled their intent to use the 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bill to gut COOL. Right now we need industry groups and individual producers to contact Senators who may waver on COOL as a vote nears on the bill.”

The 2002 Farm Bill required meat, fish and produce be labeled with their country of origin beginning September 30 of this year. Last year, COOL opponents failed to strip funding from the program, but managed to stall its delay by two years. Currently, mandatory labeling is slated to begin in 2006.

“The opponents of mandatory COOL know they do not have the votes on the House floor to win so they are now making a backdoor attempt to gut COOL through the appropriations process,” Rehberg said in a letter to industry leaders. “It’s important that those of us who support mandatory COOL put pressure on the key senators who have the most influence over the Ag Appropriations bill.

“A strong, grassroots effort telling these members how strongly we support mandatory COOL is critical in the fight to preserve the program,” Rehberg said in an open letter to Montanans. “I urge you to join Sens. Burns, Baucus and myself in contacting the members of the House and Senate that have the most influence on this issue.”

# # #

LETTERS ATTACHED

November 16, 2004

Bill Bullard, Executive Director
R-CALF USA
P.O. Box 30715
Billings, MT 59107

Dear Bill,

The fight to preserve mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is heating up and as the conference committee meets to discuss the Fiscal Year 2005 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, I need your help to preserve mandatory COOL.

Over the past few years I have led the fight in the House of Representatives to save mandatory COOL, while at the same time, offering common-sense suggestions to implement the best program possible. These reforms enjoy broad support from a large number of agricultural organizations and members of congress.

There is currently talk of including voluntary COOL provisions in the Ag Appropriations bill. It’s up to all of us to work together and make sure this language is not included in the conference report. The opponents of mandatory COOL know they do not have the votes on the House floor to win so they are now making a backdoor attempt to gut COOL through the appropriations process. The Ag Appropriations bill is set to be debated this week in the Senate. It’s important that those of us who support mandatory COOL put pressure on the key senators who have the most influence over the Ag Appropriations bill.

I urge you to have your Montana members and national organizations contact the key senators on the attached list. A strong, grassroots effort telling these senators how strongly we support mandatory COOL is critical in the fight to preserve the program. I appreciate all your support and help with this important issue.

Sincerely,

Denny Rehberg
Montana’s Congressman

Please contact these senators:
Majority Leader Bill Frist
p. (202) 224-3344
f. (202) 228-1264

Minority Leader Harry Reid
p. (202) 224-3542
f. (202) 224-7327

Senator Ted Stevens
p. (202) 224-3004
f. (202) 224-2354

Senator Robert Byrd
p. (202) 224-3954
f. (202) 228-0002

Senator Robert Bennett
p. (202) 224-5444
f. (202) 228-1168

Senator Thad Cochran
p. (202) 224-5054
f. (202) 224-9450

Senator Arlen Specter
p. (202) 224-4254
f. (202) 228-1229

Senator Kit Bond
p. (202) 224-5721
f. (202) 224-8149

Senator Mitch McConnell
p. (202) 224-2541
f. (202) 224-2499

Senator Larry Craig
p. (202) 224-2752
f. (202) 228-1067

Senator Sam Brownback
p. (202) 224-6521
f. (202) 228-1265

Senator Herb Kohl
p. (202) 224-5653
f. (202) 224-9787

Senator Tom Harkin
p. (202) 224-3254
f. (202) 224-9369

Senator Byron Dorgan
p. (202) 224-2551
f. (202) 224-1193

Senator Dianne Feinstein
p. (202) 224-3841
f. (202) 228-3954

Senator Dick Durbin
p. (202) 224-2152
f. (202) 228-0400

Senator Tim Johnson
p. (202) 224-5842
f. (202) 228-5765

Senator Mary Landrieu
p. (202) 224-5824
f. (202) 224-9735

November 17, 2004

Montanans,

The fight to preserve mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is heating up and as the conference committee meets to discuss the Fiscal Year 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bill, we all must work together to preserve mandatory COOL.

Over the past few years I have led the fight in the House of Representatives to save mandatory COOL, while at the same time offering common-sense suggestions to implement the best program possible. These efforts enjoy broad support from a large number of agricultural organizations and Members of Congress.

There is currently talk of including voluntary COOL provisions in the Ag Appropriations bill. It’s up to all of us to work together and make sure this language is not included in the conference report. The opponents of mandatory COOL know they do not have the votes on the House floor to win and are now making a backdoor attempt to gut COOL through the appropriations process. The Ag Appropriations bill is set to be debated this week in the Senate. It’s important that those of us who support mandatory COOL put pressure on the key members of congress who have the most influence over the Ag Appropriations bill.

I urge you to join Sens. Burns, Baucus and myself in contacting the members of the House and Senate that have the most influence on this issue. For a list of these key members please call my office toll free at 1-888-232-2626. A strong, grassroots effort telling these members how strongly we support mandatory COOL is critical in the fight to preserve the program. I appreciate all your support and help with this important issue.

Sincerely,

Denny Rehberg
Montana’s Congressman