Congressman Denny Rehberg

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following the release of 14 additional pages pertaining to the Department of Interior’s clandestine plans to declare millions of acres in Montana to be National Monuments. The missing pages may complete the “NOT FOR RELEASE” memo that originally outlined plans to utilize the Antiquities Act for the Presidential designation of National Monuments across the west, including Montana. Pages 15-21 of the memo were leaked earlier this year. The Department of Interior has acknowledged that it continues to withhold more than 2,000 pages of related documents.

“While I’m glad the Department of Interior has finally released these pages, I can certainly understand why they wanted to keep them a secret. A single sentence acknowledging the benefit of public input won’t appease Montanans when the rest of the document lays out plans to circumvent that input if it doesn’t fall in line with the pre-constructed plans of unelected Washington bureaucrats. The new pages make a disturbing case for bypassing Congress with a unilateral Presidential designation of National Monuments. This was the worst-case scenario, and it’s no longer hypothetical.”

In March, Rehberg joined his colleagues on the House Western Caucus in sending a letter with four questions. So far, only the first has been answered. These questions are below:

1. All pages of the “Internal Draft” document of which we obtained only pages 15 to 21 …

2. With regard to the “brainstorming” sessions you publicly mentioned, we would like a copy of any documents distributed at or in preparation for the meetings, a list of all participants or invitees, any notes taken at the meeting (s), and any memoranda, work product or follow up documents from the meeting(s). All records, electronic or otherwise, of meetings or discussions with private groups, individuals or other persons or entities that are not employees of the Department of the Interior where potential National Monument designations were discussed. We request all notes, agendas, memoranda or documents from those meetings.

3. All documents related to the Secretary’s initiative to compile a list of potential National Monument designations since July 1, 2009, including, but not limited to, maps.

4. Any communication with any person or entity outside of the Department of the Interior related to the Secretary’s initiative since July 1, 2009.

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, joined forces with colleagues from both parties in a letter to President Obama encouraging inclusion of long-term reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRSCA) in the President’s budget for fiscal year 2012.  The Secure Rural Schools program addresses the unique challenges of rural education by providing federal funding to counties for local schools and transportation projects.

“It’s critical the President does not lose sight of the unique needs of Montana’s rural communities,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Rural Education Caucus.  “I’m working with colleagues from rural districts in both parties to ensure that Montana and other rural states are not overlooked.  This isn’t a partisan issue.  This is about providing the best education for all our children.”

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, signed into law in 2000, provides an alternative source of funding to counties that were once dependent on timber sales from federal lands.  At the time the bill was passed, it was estimated to provide assistance to 700 counties in 39 states.  85 percent of Montana’s schools are classified as either rural or frontier, accounting for 70% of the state’s students.

“This economy has hit rural communities particularly hard, and that makes federal assistance for education all the more important,” said Rehberg.  “We know the President is concerned about the challenges of inner city education, but we hope he doesn’t forget about the challenges we face.”

LETTER:

Dear Mr. President:
 
We respectfully request that you include a long-term reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act (SRSCA), and the concomitant funding, in your Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget request to Congress. 
 
The SRSCA is not an entitlement program, but rather a demonstration of the commitment that this nation made to rural forest counties when they determined that large blocks (193 million acres in total) of our forest lands should be set aside for the benefit of the entire nation.  Indeed this “contract” between the federal government and rural America is part of the very foundation of our national forest system.  President Theodore Roosevelt understood the value of conserving our forest lands and placing them in public trust.  He likewise understood the economic burden this placed on rural counties to provide essential infrastructure like roads and public schools with their tax revenues reduced by the presence of federal lands in these counties.
 
To mitigate these economic effects, President Roosevelt and Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot supported a revenue sharing concept that made forest counties a contracted business partner with the federal government.  In 1908, Congress approved a revenue sharing plan specifying 25 percent of all revenues from National Forests would be returned to forested counties.  This law worked well for nearly a century.  However, by the late 1980’s national policies and court rulings substantially diminished revenue generating activity in our national forests.  By 1998, revenues for national forest counties had declined by over 70 percent.  The decline had a devastating impact on 780 counties nationwide and over nine million school children.
 
Recognizing its obligation to rural America, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000, and President Bill Clinton signed the bill.  It provided six years of funding.  In 2007, Congress extended the SRSCA for one year.  In 2008, Congress once again provided a four year extension of the SRSCA from 2008-2011.
 
Timber harvests have not rebounded, so both the logic and the need for this program remain as strong today as when President Roosevelt first supported revenue sharing.  The vast majority of the funds provided through the SRSCA are used to directly fund jobs in road maintenance and public works and positions within the public school system.  These are essential services for the citizens of these rural communities and constitute family-wage earner jobs.
 
Failure to extend the SRSCA in 2012 would have a devastating impact on the economies of over 780 of our most rural and most economically depressed counties and school districts across the nation.  In these counties, unemployment is higher than in other regions of the country with rates approaching those experienced in the Great Depression.
 
Failure to extend the SRSCA would lead to an annual payment loss of 468 million dollars starting in 2012-13.  The economic impacts will be ongoing without an extension.  This includes support for construction, roads, education, conservation, and various other government funded services and projects.  The loss of the funding leads to various businesses throughout the United States, mainly in rural America, losing on an annual basis almost $1.37 billion in revenues, government at all levels losing over $188 million in tax receipts and over 11,000 people losing their jobs in 2012-13.
 
In addition, Title II of the SRSCA has proven to be a substantial asset to rural communities and our forested public lands.  Since 2000, in a very collaborative process, over $350 million has been invested in watershed restoration and forest health projects by Resource Advisory Committees (RACs).  Not one project has been appealed or litigated.  In fact, based on changes in the 2008 Act, the number of RACs has grown from 55 to 116.
 
We are grateful that you appreciate the importance of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act.  In May 2008, you stated in an interview with the Eugene Register-Guard, “I completely agree that it’s [SRSCA] an obligation we have to meet.  I think that we’re not meeting it well right now because we’re doing it piecemeal year after year by year. . . .” Those words send a strong message about the need to support this ongoing commitment to rural America.
 
We look forward to meeting with you and your administration to draft legislation to continue this historic partnership with rural America.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, joined colleagues in sending a letter to the United States Green Building Council urging increased use of wood products in green building construction certification done by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).  The timber industry in Western Montana has been particularly hard hit in the current economic downturn, and green building opportunities could help to revitalize future industry growth.

“Wood is among the most reliable and renewable building product there is,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “We need to expand incentives for America’s wood products industry to ensure our mills stay open and Montana’s loggers, millworkers and drivers have good-paying jobs.”

When a builder chooses to use wood, the LEED standard awards credits only if the builder uses products certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  It doesn’t give credit for two other major U.S. certification system—the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS).  These two programs certify more than 80 million acres in the U.S.  In Montana, more than 1.2 million acres is certified under the SFI and ATFS programs, but none under FSC.

“It’s pretty clear to anyone who’s visited communities that have been impacted by the timber industry downturn that the economic ramifications are significant and widespread,” said Rehberg.  “The timber industry is a critical part of our economy, not just as a stand-alone industry, but as the starting point for thousands of small businesses across many industries.”

The Full Letter is below:

Dear Mr. Fedrizzi:

As members who are both active on forestry issues and represent districts with many small woodlot owners, we are writing to express our concern over the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

While we appreciate the efforts of the USGBC to promote energy efficiency and environmental conservation, we are very concerned that the LEED rating system’s wood credit does not recognize two of the largest sustainable forest certification programs in the United States – the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (AFTS) – and recognizes only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood.

Over 84 million acres of forests in the United States are certified to SFI or ATFS, almost three times the amount of forests certified to FSC nationally. If the LEED rating system maintains the status quo and does not recognize SFI or ATFS, many builders seeking LEED certification would be discouraged to use third-party certified SFI and ATFS products grown here in the United States. Furthermore, by requiring wood to have third party certification to receive a credit and not forcing that requirement on steel and concrete, the USGBC is discouraging the overall use of a product that uses less energy and produces less pollution in its manufacturing.

We understand that the LEED rating system has proposed draft benchmarks to evaluate forest certification programs, but we are concerned that they do not offer a clear and simple way to give credit for all of the major third-party forest certification systems operating in the United States. Broadening the number of eligible certification programs could stimulate the market for American produced forest products and the communities and jobs that depend on both.

We urge you and your organization to expedite your review of forest management certification systems and to accept all credible forest management certification systems for qualification under the LEED rating system.  Doing so will help ensure strong markets for domestic lumber producers and our forest landowners, which is vital to the future of our forests and our forest industry workers.

Sincerely,

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, today released the following statement after the Department of the Interior announced that it would make its Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments to local governments by the end of the day today.  They had previously said the payments could be delayed to mid-July, prompting Rehberg to join colleagues in sending a letter urging more rapid action.  Local governments have historically received PILT funds in June.

“I want to thank Secretary Salazar and the Department of Interior for responding to our request for the rapid disbursement of these critical funds.  Many of these counties have obligations that must be met by the end of the month.  Montanans have to pay their taxes on time, there’s no reason the federal government should get a free pass.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Denny Rehberg (MT-AL), Allen Boyd (FL-02), Vernon Ehlers (MI-03),  Mike Simpson (ID-02) and Walt Minnick (ID-01) have jointly introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives supporting recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips on America’s public lands.

“With 147,000 square miles, there are plenty of places in Montana that you just can’t get to by road,” said Congressman Rehberg, a member of the House General Aviation Caucus.  “That’s why aviation is as important to modern Montana as the horse was for frontier Montana.  During a time when our lands are under threat from drought, insect infestation and wildfire, and when our economy continues to struggle, backcountry airstrips serve a valuable role for land managers and visitors alike.”

“As a pilot, I know that many of us combine flying with other recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing and camping,” said Congressman Boyd, co-chair of the House General Aviation Caucus.  “This legislation recognizes the important role rural backcountry airstrips are to general aviation enthusiasts and tourists across the country, and I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this resolution.”

“The Recreational Aviation Foundation has done a great service by pointing out the potential loss of a number of backcountry airstrips,” said Congressman Ehlers. These airstrips allow citizens to land near wilderness areas, and be able to hike, camp, and explore these beautiful parts of our country. These strips provide great access, and should be preserved wherever possible so that generations ahead can continue to enjoy the wilderness areas of our nation.”

“Backcountry airstrips ensure that Idahoans and visitors to our state have access to beautiful and wild places for recreation, work, and management of land and wildlife, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with my colleagues to make sure that they continue to be able to use them,” said Congressman Mike Simpson, Ranking Member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the U.S. Forest Service.

“For Idahoans who treasure our backcountry, these airstrips not only allow folks a great way to see the out of doors, but they also represent a lifeline for remote sections of the state,” Congressman Minnick said. “They are important to our way of life and ought to be maintained.”

Backcountry airstrips are often targeted for closure by powerful special interest groups or simply neglected by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.  Yet, they are a part of life for many Americans.  In addition to search and rescue, fire management, research, disaster relief and wildlife management, they also provide access to some of the most beautiful, remote federal lands in America—regardless of one’s physical ability to otherwise enjoy the backcountry.  For pilots, in the event of mechanical problems or inclement weather, they serve as emergency landing sites when larger airports are out of reach.  Finally, backcountry airstrips serve as efficient access points for tourists, who in turn contribute to local economies and small businesses.

“Too often, backcountry airstrips receive little if any attention, so they are vulnerable to efforts to close them. This resolution introduced by Reps. Rehberg, Boyd, Ehlers, Minnick and Simpson acknowledges the important role of these air strips and raises their profile, especially among their colleagues on Capitol Hill whose actions are critical to the airstrips’ survival,” said Craig Fuller, President of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

“We are excited that these Representatives are recognizing the value of backcountry aviation in this way,” said John McKenna, President of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF).  “This Resolution clarifies the status of recreational aviation, its participants, supporters and those who work hard to maintain and preserve it for the future.”  McKenna lives and works in Bozeman, Montana, the headquarters of the national non-profit organization.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has cosponsored the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act with members of the Congressional Western Caucus.  In conjunction with legislation he’s already introduced that would require congressional approval of any National Monument designation in Montana, this legislation would enact additional reforms intended to modernize the original 1906 legislation to meet public expectations of transparency and accountability.

“Montanans expect and deserve a new level of government transparency that wasn’t possible when the Antiquities Act was first created more than a century ago,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.  “The Antiquities Act is a relic of a time when politicians worked far from the scrutiny of public attention – often days of travel by train from the voters they represented.  The secrecy that this distance afforded simply doesn’t fly anymore.  Voters deserve to know what their government is doing, and they deserve to have a say in it.  Modern technology makes it possible, and it’s the responsibility of every elected official to ensure it happens.”

The National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act includes several provisions that will modernize the Antiquities Act.  By changing the size restriction of land the President can designate from “the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the object to be protected,” to “the smallest area essential to ensure the proper care and management of the objects to be protected,” it reduces the amount of land the President can designate as a national monument.  This simple change has become necessary following the audacity of the recently leaked secret plans being crafted by the Department of the Interior to designate more than 13 million acres as new National Monuments.

In addition, the process by which a National Monument is designated is also updated in the bill, with new requirements for transparency and accountability added before and after any monument designation.  For example, 30 days before making a decision, the President would be required to provide the language of the proposed proclamation to all government officials with authority over the land located within the proposed National Monument.  This includes state, local and tribal officials.  The Secretary of the Interior would then be required, by the law, to hold a public meeting, take public comments and make the draft and comments available online.

The legislation also creates a role for congressional oversight once the President designates the monument.  Within one year of a new designation, the Administration would have to produce a report that examines the monument designation across several criteria: economic impact of the local communities, impact on domestic energy production, and the impact on other interests, rights and uses of the land – including water rights, hunting, grazing, timber production, forest health, off-road vehicle use, hiking, horseback riding, and mineral and energy leases, claims, and permits.  Once the report is completed, the designation must be approved by an Act of Congress within two years.  Without such an approval, the proclamation would be undone.

“The Clinton Administration invented the abuse of the Antiquities Act with the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and the Obama Administration seems intent on perfecting it,” said Rehberg.  “The Secretary of the Interior has already promised an open and transparent system – this legislation ensures the Department keeps its promise.  Transparency is the antidote to government abuse.”

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, today signed a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging Secretary Ken Salazar and the Department of the Interior (DOI) to expedite Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding, following an announcement that the funds would be delayed.

“As states like Montana face budget deadlines, the federal government, which is the single biggest landowner, isn’t paying its bills,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.  “While urban states are balancing their budgets on the back of the Montana taxpayer, rural states are being ignored.  This is just the latest example of what happens when every lever of power in Washington, D.C. is controlled by big-city politicians with big-city priorities.”

Rehberg signed this letter with fellow members of Congress, including Senators and Representatives from both parties.  It came following an announcement by DOI that disbursements of FY 2010 PILT funds would be delayed until July 2010 due to “unavoidable circumstances”.  PILT funds are intended to replace some of the state revenue lost by the federal ownership of land that, in private hands, could be taxed.  Usually, county governments receive these funds in June, and they were only notified of the changes last week.

“County governments, already facing a dismal economic situation, cannot wait an extra month for these funds, or simply suspend their operations for a month,” said Rehberg and other signers in their letter.  “They need this funding now to keep their doors open.  We urge you to issue these funds at their previously scheduled release date.”

LETTER: 

Dear Secretary Salazar:

As you know, many rural counties in the West are dependent on the funding that comes from the Department of the Interior due to the loss of potential tax revenues on federal lands, known as Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT).  Nearly $381 million was distributed to counties across the nation in FY2009.  This money is critical to keeping county government functioning.  Many of these counties have obligations that must be met by June 30 and these cannot be modified.

That’s why we are concerned by your department’s announcement that it will be releasing PILT funds a month later than anticipated.  County governments, already facing a dismal economic situation, cannot wait an extra month for these funds, or simply suspend their operations for a month.  They need these funds now, simply to keep their doors open.  We urge you to issue these funds at their previously scheduled release date.

While we understand that the PILT formula is complicated, it is critical for rural governments that the Department of Interior expedites the release of these funds as quickly as possible.  If the Department can only estimate payments at this time because of difficulties in determining the final payment amount, we urge you to consider providing estimated payments that can be adjusted later so that our rural counties are not left stranded while this is resolved.  At a minimum, the Department should determine if there is any intermediate solution to this issue so that a payment can go out to counties this month.  Additionally, we encourage your department to provide appropriate outreach to the communities depending on these funds.

Thank you for your understanding of the importance of this request.  We look forward to your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,