Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON ,D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement regarding comments attributed to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, which were then distributed by Senator Jon Tester following a Senate hearing.  In reference to a federal land-grab in Montana that was repeatedly mentioned in secret Department of Interior emails and documents, the Secretary is reported to have said: “I think it is folks fanning the flames.  We hope that we move forward with a conservation agenda. But it involves listening to the people and it doesn’t involve the heavy hand of government coming in and imposing the monument authority.”

“In the closing hours of the Clinton Administration, federal bureaucrats locked up tens of thousands of acres in Montana as a National Monument.  At the time, officials also claimed to have listened to Montanans prior to making that decision – a decision that ultimately was very controversial in Montana.   So forgive me for continuing to be very skeptical of Washington bureaucrats who claim to know what’s best for Montana.   If Secretary Salazar were sincere about his willingness to be open and transparent, he could settle the matter in an instant by releasing the document that his agency has decided to keep a secret.  This includes the missing pages of the original memo and the more than 2,000 pages of emails and attachments referenced in the 300-pages that I have posted on my website.  If I had the fortune of publicly questioning the Secretary about this matter you can bet that I would put Montana’s interest in managing our land ahead of the Department of Interior’s interest in covering its tracks.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has joined the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Beef Caucus.  According to the Montana Stockgrower’s Association, in 2009,  the Montana cattle industry directly employed nearly 7,000 workers.  The cattle industry also contributed more than $1 billion to the state’s economy, representing one-half of the cash receipts generated by Montana agriculture.

“As a fifth-generation Montana rancher, it’s not hard to imagine what Montana would be like without the beef industry.  No cowboys or the brands they ride for.  No beaverslide hay stackers on the horizon, or cattle guards on the roads.  Without the beef industry, Montana wouldn’t be the Last Best Place we all know and love.  Through the Congressional Beef Caucus, I will work with Representatives from other beef states, and together we can ensure we get a seat at the table when it comes to selling our own product in the U.S. or exporting it to foreign markets.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to an announcement of listening sessions held by staff from the Departments of Agriculture and Interior and the White House Council on Environmental Quality to discuss the President’s mysterious “America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.”

“Public meetings should be the first step in crafting policy, not the last.  While I’m glad the White House and its agencies are finally coming to listen to Montanans, I’m skeptical about how much good it will do this late in the game.  The fact is, they’ve been working for months in secret on policies impacting our state.  We only learned about it after portions of an internal memo was discovered.  Far from being open and transparent, the Department of Interior still refuses to release more than 2,000 pages of relevant information relating to their plans, including the missing pages of that memo.  Despite what they’re calling it, it’s not really a public event if you need tickets, and it’s not really a listening session if the agenda is fixed ahead of time.  At the 44 listening sessions I’ve held around Montana, anyone could come and talk about anything they wanted.  That’s what Montanans expect, and it’s what they deserve.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today joined House Republican colleagues in unveiling America Speaking Out.  By providing an online forum for Montanans to voice their opinions in setting priorities for a national agenda, this initiative mirrors the public input that Rehberg has solicited at 44 public listening sessions and through online social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“Montanans are sick and tired of the vote-first-ask-questions-later approach to lawmaking that Speaker Pelosi has adopted.  It’s a recipe for bad laws, and worse, it’s a sign of an unresponsive government that serves its own interests before the interests of the people.  That’s why I hosted 44 public listening sessions.  That’s why I asked for 30 days to come back to Montana and listen before any vote on a health care bill.  That’s why, on a daily basis, I interact with thousands of Montanans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  It’s time Washington, D.C. listens to the people.  We want to know what you think.  And that’s what America Speaking Out is all about.”

America Speaking Out is the first legislative website of its kind.  Using modern online tools, it empowers users to submit their own ideas or weigh in on the ideas of others.  It creates a one-of-a-kind pipeline to Washington, D.C. that will help make Congress look a lot more like Montana.  Montanans can access America Speaking Out online at http://www.americaspeakingout.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has posted online 383 previously unreleased pages from the Department of Interior regarding ongoing plans to declare millions of acres as National Monuments.  Using email and social media, he asked Montanans to review the materials and report anything of interest that they found. 

“Transparency in government is the first principle of rule by the people,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.  “While some have gone to great lengths to keep these documents secret, and others have suggested there was no reason to see them, I think we ought to let Montanans see for themselves what their government is doing.  It’s not going to be easy to sneak this one past almost a million Montanans.”

Although Rehberg posted the new pages – mostly emails – on his website, the DOI continues to withhold at least 2,016 pages, including the missing pages of the internal memo that was discovered earlier this year.  Rehberg has cosponsored a resolution that would compel all of these missing pages to be released.  He has also sponsored legislation that would require congressional approval of new National Monument designations in Montana.

“These documents clearly reveal that other DOI agencies including the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation have been involved,” said Rehberg in his email to Montanans.  “Powerful environmental interest groups have also been invited to the table.  The more we learn, the more urgent it becomes to pass legislation preventing a repeat of the gross abuse of power we saw in the waning days of the Clinton Administration.  I will do everything in my power to prevent the federalization of Montana land.”

The documents can be downloaded online from here: http://rehberg.house.gov/uploads/DeptofInterior.zip

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has cosponsored a resolution that would compel the Department of Interior to release information related to a planned misuse of the Antiquities Act to designate 13 million acres of land in 11 different Western states, including Montana, as National Monuments.  The original plans were uncovered when an internal memo was leaked.  Rehberg joined fellow members of the House Western Caucus in sending a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar demanding the full memo and related documents.

“While Montanans would love to take Secretary Salazar’s word that his agency isn’t considering using the Antiquities Act to circumvent public opposition, I would feel more comfortable if the Interior Department didn’t actively hide the facts,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Western Caucus.  “It’s time we let the sunlight in and see what’s been going on behind closed doors.”

The Antiquities Act authorized the President to designate objects or areas of historic or scientific interest as National Monuments on lands owned or controlled by the United States.  An internal Department of Interior document recently revealed the Administration is considering using this law to create as many as 14 new National Monument designations in the West.

Specifically, the leaked portion of the memo identified 2.5 million acres of land in Montana – some presumably owned by private citizens – to be set aside as a National Monument.  The memo also calls for the buy-out of 80,000 acres of private in-holdings within the Missouri Breaks National Monument and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, in addition to the acquisition of 39,000 acres of state-administered in-holdings in the same area.

Despite a letter requesting the missing parts of the original memo, the Interior Department has decided to keep them secret.  H. Res. 1254 would require the Department to remit all relating documents to the House of Representatives within two weeks.  House rules provide that the Democrat Majority on the Committee has 14 legislative days to report the Resolution of Inquiry or it can be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote as a Privileged Resolution.

“This Administration claims to be the most open and transparent in history,” said Rehberg.  “It’s really a shame that we’re forced to use legislation to get answers to simple questions regarding public documents.”

Rehberg has also introduced legislation that would require congressional approval of new National Monument designations in Montana.  This requirement isn’t unprecedented; the current law prohibits the extension or establishment of any National Monument in Wyoming without the express authorization of Congress.

WASHIGNTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has co-sponsored a resolution encouraging Japan to end its six-year ban on beef imports from the United States.  Japan enacted the ban following the discovery of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, in a Canadian-born dairy cow in Washington State. 

Before the trade restrictions were implemented, Japan was the largest market for U.S. beef with exports valued at $1.4 billion in 2003.  Since the barriers were enacted, exports have dropped to less than 15% of their previous value.

“Montana’s beef is the best in the world,” said Rehberg.  “More than that, it’s absolutely safe.  To lock our beef out of a market based on junk science, misinformation and fear mongering is not acceptable, and Congress needs to make that absolutely clear.”

The resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the trade barriers have no benefit to either country, and that the claims perpetuating the ban are not based on sound science.  The resolution also states that Japan should expand importation of both bone-in and boneless beef from the United States. 

“It’s time to tear down unjustified trade barriers that threaten a staple of Montana’s economy,” said Rehberg.  “Montana produces the world’s best beef, but our ranchers can only compete in a global marketplace if we protect them from these unfair trade practices.”

Rehberg remains committed to reopening the Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean export markets to beef trade.  This bill strengthens that commitment and re-enforces his strong support of Montana’s beef industry.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, released the results of a recent survey conducted through his electronic newsletter regarding congressional earmarks.  The survey showed more than 88-percent of 3,710 respondents support Rehberg’s decision not to pursue earmarks for this fiscal year, and 90-percent indicated they support reduced spending even if it meant Montana would get less federal funding.

“While I don’t need a survey to tell me what I’ve been hearing at listening sessions around the state for the last year, these results really do a great job of showing how fed up Montanans are with the out-of-control spending in Congress,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “Montanans know there is no such thing as a free lunch, and they want Congress to stop trying to spend its way out of every problem.”

The survey was emailed to Montanans on March 30, after Rehberg joined House Republicans in declaring a moratorium on earmarks for fiscal year 2011.  This moratorium comes in the wake of a year that saw record spending, record deficits and record expansions of government.

“When folks see earmarks, they see red,” said Rehberg.  “It’s time to stop talking about making tough spending reforms and time to start making them.  This is the first step to do exactly that.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, sent a letter to the US Department of Agriculture urging them to step up enforcement of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), in order to ensure that American consumers have reliable and consistent information to determine the origin of the food that they serve to their families.

“We’ve fought long and hard for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling,” said Rehberg, a fifth-generation rancher from Billings. “If distributors of foreign products can circumvent the intent of the law with misleading labels that meet the letter of the law but not the spirit, I’m afraid our efforts will have been in vain.  Labels that are intended to deceive, rather than inform, have no place on our shelves.”

In the letter, Rehberg wrote that while COOL is designed to provide the industry with flexibility, it’s purpose is to provide consumers with accurate information regarding a product’s origin.  The use of advertising gimmicks and unreadable labels meant to deceive consumers counteracts this purpose.  Rehberg believes that stronger enforcement of the statute will benefit consumers and producers alike.

Distributors of foreign products, while following the letter of the law, are using misleading labels that clearly violate the spirit and intent of the law.

LETTER:

Dear Administrator Pegg:

Since I came to Congress in 2001, I have been a strong advocate for mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL).  Like many proponents of COOL, I fought a long, difficult battle to ensure that agricultural products were accurately labeled for the benefit of consumers and producers alike.  Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that some retailers are engaging in unfair and misleading labeling practices in an attempt to mask a product’s true country of origin.

The USDA’s final rule implementing country of origin labeling includes the following guideline:

“In order to provide the industry with as much flexibility as possible, this rule does not contain specific requirements as to the exact placement or size of the country of origin or method of production (wild and/or farm-raised) declaration. However, such declarations must be legible and conspicuous, and allow consumers to find the country(ies) of origin and method of production, as applicable, easily and read them without strain when making their purchases…”

The country of origin labels are supposed to inform consumers, but several Montanans have brought me examples of labels that are intended to deceive them.  These labels include the mandatory country of origin information listing the beef as a product of the U.S.A., Canada and Australia but provide it in an almost unreadable type face.

As a longtime supporter of COOL, I urge USDA to step up enforcement to ensure that country of origin labels comply with the law.  While flexibility is important, it should not come at the expense of providing the consumer with accurate information regarding a product’s origin.  We must find a way to administer these guidelines so that American consumers have a reliable and consistent way of determining a product’s origin. 

My allies and I fought too hard for country of origin labeling to allow our producers and consumers to be deceived by slick advertising gimmicks that mask a product’s true origins.

I look forward to working with you to implement and enforce labeling regulations so that my constituents can know where the food that they serve to their families was produced.  Please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any further questions on the matter.

WASINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement following Australia’s March 9 decision to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment on beef imported from the United States and other countries.  This process will take a minimum of two years, effectively continuing a six-year ban on the importation of U.S. beef.

“Our free trade agreement with Australia gives them access to U.S. markets, but we are playing on an uneven field because of trumped up safety concerns.  Montana’s beef is as safe as it is delicious, and Australians deserve the option to enjoy our beef as much as our ranchers deserve the opportunity to sell it Down Under.”

In 2001, Australia stopped importing beef from countries that had a confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as “Mad Cow disease.”  This provision impacted the United States in 2003 following the confirmation of a case of BSE in Mabton, Washington.  Prior to that, the U.S. exported 34 tons of beef to Australia per year.  Australia exports an average of 280,000 tons of beef per year to the U.S.

Australia initially lifted the ban on imports on March 1, 2010 following a threat from beef exporters to file a dispute.