Congressman Denny Rehberg

January 28, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has pledged to help the 90 employees of the Owens & Hurst Lumber Co. mill in northwestern Montana, following the company’s announcement Thursday it will shut down in May. Rehberg’s office has begun working with various agencies on behalf of the families affected by the closure.

“It’s hard not to be angry at the circumstances that created this,” Rehberg said. “The failed policies of overregulation and environmental extremism lead to the systematic destruction of our environment and our economy in Montana. We have more and more unhealthy forests, and fewer and fewer responsible land managers — like Owens & Hurst — to take care of them. This really points to the continual need to understand the direct relationship between maintaining a healthy forest through active management, and maintaining the economic health of timber-dependent communities.”

Rehberg contacted the Economic Development Agency (EDA) putting in an official request for a $50,000 economic strategic planning grant to help the community adjust to the impact of the closure.

“The closing of a business is always difficult, both for the employees and the community,” Rehberg said. “My immediate concern is the wellbeing of each of these families.”

Rehberg said that he would work to provide assistance and information on federal programs such as the U. S. Department of Labor Job Training Partnership Act and unemployment assistance, in addition to EDA’s Economic Adjustment Programs.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the federal government to end this cycle of lost jobs and crippled economies due to these failed policies that are hurting our communities and killing our forests,” Rehberg added.