Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, announced he will seek to remove the gray wolf from consideration under the Endangered Species Act. Rehberg will support legislation asking Congress to amend the 1973 act “to prohibit treatment of the Gray Wolf as an endangered species or threatened species.” The move comes in response to a recent court ruling effectively reinstating endangered status for the wolf.

“It’s become clear the courts and the environmental extremists have abandoned the principle of sound science when determining the status of the gray wolf,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus. “Years of research, dedicated efforts by land owners and local officials, and the expert opinions of on-the-ground wildlife managers have been given a back seat to profit-motivated environmental groups. We need to call attention to this abuse and solve an issue that should have been put to rest years ago.”

When Congress returns to Washington, Rehberg will cosponsor H.R. 6028, a measure introduced by Texas Representative Chet Edwards that will amend the original Endangered Species Act to prohibit gray wolves from being listed as an endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) first issued the decision to delist the wolf in 2008, after the species had met revised recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs and 300 wolves for eight consecutive years. Wildlife biologists estimate there are 1,700 wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon and Washington. Wolves were first placed on the endangered species list in 1974.

“The evidence of a recovery for the gray wolf is as plain as day, yet Montana stock-growers and wildlife managers have their hands tied when it comes to managing the predator,” said Rehberg, who in February urged the White House to adhere to an FWS opinion that the wolf be delisted in Montana and Idaho. “Stock losses and big game depredation caused by an uncontrolled wolf population are a real concern in Montana, and the state’s responsible management plan needs to be put in place.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to a federal court ruling that effectively places wolves back on the endangered species list. The decision also cancels the scheduled wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho by prohibiting state management of wolf populations.

“I’ve long said decisions regarding the endangered species list should be based on sound science. I’m disappointed that after years of monitoring and research, and hundreds of millions of federal dollars spent, there are still people in this country who refuse to acknowledge the fact that gray wolves are a recovered species and ready for responsible state management. Land-owners, stock-growers, biologists, conservationists, and public officials at the state and federal level have all worked diligently to get to this point.

“It’s high time for the billion-dollar environmental extremist industry to start listening to local experts and stop assuming all knowledge about wildlife issues resides outside of Montana. State wildlife managers have legitimate concerns over depleting elk and deer populations and our livestock industry is faced with ever increasing wolf encroachment. Montana has developed a responsible wolf management plan and it should have been given a chance to succeed.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today introduced the bipartisan Rural Community Flood Protection Act with Rep. David Wu (D-OR). This legislation would require the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a levee system evaluation and certification for both federally and non-federally authorized levees upon the request of a non-federal entity. The Corps of Engineers suspended its certifications after liability concerns following Hurricane Katrina, leaving several Montana communities to either come up with tens of thousands of dollars for private certifications or face expensive flood insurance requirements.

“Rural communities have always depended on the Corps of Engineers for the certification of their levees, and it’s wrong to pull the rug out from under them,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Levee Caucus. “It makes no sense to force thousands of tiny rural communities to secure certification on their own when the Corps can do it for much cheaper and with much more efficiency. This is about doing the right thing, both for rural families and for cost savings.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of digitally re-mapping various parts of the country, including parts of Montana. As a result, many levees need to be recertified to provide a set level of protection. Without this certification, FEMA’s new maps will show that no levee exists, requiring homeowners to purchase flood insurance and possibly prohibiting them from building on their property. Earlier this year, during a House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Rehberg questioned the Corps of Engineers about their unwillingness to resume certifications, and whether they were sufficiently authorized to certify levees.

This legislation would give the Corp of Engineers explicit authority to resume its certification of levees. It also includes a cost-sharing provision that lifts the burden of expense off of the local communities and property owners. The Corps would be directed to cap the non-federal cost-share requirements for certifications it provides.

“Giving the Corps of Engineers the authority to do these certifications is a big step,” said Sandy Mares, the Administrative Commissioner of the West Great Falls Flood Control and Drainage District. “The cost-sharing provisions of Denny’s bill are a life-preserver for the small rural levee districts in Montana, and we can’t thank him enough for his work.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in support of increased access to Yellowstone National Park for snowmobiles. Today, the National Park Service announced a new draft plan for winter management.

“Montana snowmobilers continue to face uncertainty and unjustified hurdles restricting access to the Park. Opponents of snowmobiles have turned to judicial wrangling and the never-ending rulemaking process to completely end access to our national parks. Meanwhile, the local economy around the Park is suffering. While these obstructionist groups always trumpet the economic benefits of public lands, they are also doing everything they can to choke those benefits out of existence. It’s time for a long-term solution to fix this mess once and for all.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expressing concerns about proposals to designate between 2.5 and 4.1 million acres of Montana lands as National Monuments.  He also urged him to include all impacted Montanans in the discussions long before such a designation is ever made.
 
“I want Secretary Salazar to understand that the concerns of thousands of Montanans are much deeper than what some have called mere politics,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Western Caucus.  “We’ve been down this road before, long before he was in the driver’s seat, and we know where it leads.  If the course of action is already determined, as some suspect it is, then going through the motions of public input is a waste of time.  Montanans deserve more than a voice. We also have a right to say no if we don’t like the federal government’s plan for our land.”
 
In the eleventh hour of the outgoing Clinton Administration, the President used his authority granted in the Antiquities Act to create the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, despite outright opposition from Montanans across the state.  So when a secret memo was discovered laying out a vision for millions of new acres for designation under the same authority, Rehberg and other members of the House Western Caucus started asking questions.  Most of those questions have not been answered.
 
It’s since become evident that high ranking officials within the Department of the Interior have been working closely with select members of powerful special interest groups, while most Montanans have been left out of the process.  Rehberg has posted hundreds of pages of emails and documents on his website at http://rehberg.house.gov.
 
“Montanans expect a high level of transparency when it comes to their government’s plans,” said Rehberg.  “But even more important than transparency, they expect to have a say in the end result.  I’m inviting Secretary Salazar to join me in listening to what Montanans have to say.”

The complete letter is below:

Dear Secretary Salazar:

Earlier this year, a Department of the Interior (DOI) memo recommending 13 million acres for designation as new National Monuments was leaked to members of Congress.  The document included 2.5 million acres in Montana, with an additional 4.1 million acres mentioned in related emails between your agency and the World Wildlife Fund.

Unfortunately, this proposed land grab is neither surprising nor unprecedented.  In the waning hours of the Clinton Administration, federal bureaucrats locked up tens of thousands of acres in Montana when it created the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.  At the time, officials claimed to have listened to Montanans prior to making that decision, a decision that ultimately was very controversial. 

As a result, Montanans remain skeptical when they hear similar promises from the federal government today.  You echoed these promises during a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations, where you guaranteed a “conversation and a dialogue” with local citizens before decisions are made regarding new National Monuments.

With this in mind, I encourage you to visit the lands referenced in the leaked document, the so-called Montana’s Northern Prairie, to start a dialogue with Montanans who are rightfully concerned about the future of their lands.  I’d like to extend an invitation, on behalf of all those who were left out of the discussions, asking you to make an official visit to our great state to meet with my constituents and me.

The current Administration claims to be the most open and transparent in history, yet it blatantly excluded affected landowners, ranchers, farmers, elected officials, outdoor recreationists and hunters from these discussions.  Instead, the Administration chose to exclusively seek the advice of powerful special interest groups, and it refuses to make public thousands of pages of public documents. 

While we don’t always see eye-to-eye, I think we can both agree that Montanans should have a seat at the table when decisions are made that affect our public lands.  Thank you for your consideration of this request, and please don’t hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking for a variety of clarifications relating to the Superfund cleanup in Libby, Montana.

“As much as the folks in Libby want this cleanup to be over, they also want it to be done right,” said Rehberg.  “The EPA needs to provide important clarifications regarding its completed work, and also what their obligation will be in the event that it doesn’t get done right the first time.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a less than thorough response from the federal government, so the skepticism of the local community is completely justified.”

Rehberg’s letter to the Director of the Superfund Remedial Program for EPA-Region 8 is included below:

Dear Director Murray:

I’m writing to make you aware of public concerns regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent signing of Records of Decision (ROD) affecting portions of the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site.  As you know, RODs for Operable Units (OU) 1 and 2 were signed by EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last month.

I’ve heard from constituents who are concerned that, despite the completed ROD, there remain visible pockets of vermiculite scattered in OU1 as a result of disturbances to soil and other surfaces.  Currently, the public is allowed to access these areas.  Many in Libby believe their questions haven’t been adequately answered, particularly in regards to whether EPA will return to Libby if future evidence reveals that vermiculite exists in areas deemed safe by the ROD.  As a result, I’d appreciate your response to the following questions:

1.      What is the process for reopening the ROD based on the presence of vermiculite in OU1?  What level of perceived risk must be reached to either rescind or review the ROD once it has been issued?

2.      Have the health risks of exposed vermiculite in OU1 been assessed and determined to be not a risk to public health?  What measures are being taken to assure local government and citizens that public activities can occur in OU1?

3.      Have all the comments from citizens, local government and other concerned stakeholders been responded to before the ROD was issued?

4.      Have health risks from exposure to vermiculite in OU1 and OU2 been adequately addressed to provide the public reasonable assurance that a permanent level of cleanup has been achieved?

5.      Are sufficient institutional controls in place to provide remedial actions for activities in these operable units to address issues such as excavation, construction and public events in the area?

As this process moves forward, I ask that EPA remember the importance of addressing public input and concerns relating to the cleanup effort.  Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please don’t hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

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.”

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its decision to delay enforcement of its new Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule until the end of the year.  Rehberg, who sent letters, summoned EPA officials to speak with Montana contractors and even introduced legislation to delay the rule’s effective date , was pleased to see that his efforts finally paid off.

“I’m glad we finally got through,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “The EPA refused to see the impact this rule was having on rural contractors who wanted to do the right thing but quite frankly didn’t have the ability to get to a certification class in time.  These small business owners are already up against a wall, they don’t need Washington  bureaucrats hunting them down for trying to do their job.”

In March, Rehberg sent a letter to the EPA asking for a delay in the rule’s implementation deadline to allow time for more trainers to be accredited and for more professionals to be trained.  When they refused, he summoned EPA officials to his Washington, D.C. office to hear directly from representatives of the Montana Building Industry Association (MBIA).  Finally, he introduced legislation, H.R. 5177, to extend the deadline for compliance to the new rule.

The EPA finally heard these concerns, and issued new guidelines on Friday that provides relief for contractors that haven’t been able to get the required certification training.  The new guidelines require a contractor to be certified by December 31, 2010 as long as they have enrolled in a class by September 30, 2010.

“This rule has been an absolute disaster,” said Dustin Stewart, the executive director of Montana Building Industry Association.  “It was such a big rule and a monumental shift, Montana contractors needed time to come to grips with it.  We are so appreciative of Congressman Rehberg who was at the forefront of this issue for us from the start.  He went to the mat for us early and didn’t stop fighting until the EPA had backed down.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, released the following statement in advance of President Obama’s Oval Office address on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Like all Montanans, I’m deeply concerned with the short and long-term effects of this environmental disaster.  This situation was avoidable, and those who are responsible must be held accountable.  Unfortunately, many have decided to use this spill as an excuse to cut back our domestic energy production.  That merely shifts energy production to foreign shores of the Middle East, Russia and Venezuela.  No one wants a repeat of what happened in the Gulf, and the best chance of succeeding in that goal is to keep the energy production right here at home, where the will to protect the environment meets the technological ability to make it happen.”

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.”