Congressman Denny Rehberg

January 26, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today called on fellow Western lawmakers to join him in the effort to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“One of my priorities in this caucus is seeing that Endangered Species Reform is brought up before the House, voted on, and sent on to the Senate,” Rehberg, a Billings rancher, said. “There are problems within the Endangered Species Act. I think everybody recognizes that, and it’s time for Congress to get off the dime and get something done.”

Rehberg, who begins his third term joining only a handful of Western members to serve on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has been a member of the Western Caucus since 2001, the start of his first Congressional term. Rehberg previously served on the House Agriculture, Resources, and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees.

“The Western Caucus is one of those groups of individuals, men and women, in the United States House, who have interests similar to ours in Montana,” Rehberg said. “The Western Caucus is one of the places we can talk about the St. Mary’s Water Project, the Rocky Boy’s water project, Dry Prairie water project – the problems we’re having with the Corps of Engineer and the Missouri River management of lake levels at Fort Peck Reservoir.”