Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today offered an amendment during the initial stages of next year’s Energy and Water Appropriations Bill reducing the cost to the taxpayer by $1.2 billion.

“While talking about spending freezes next year, House Democrats are blowing up the spending this year to compensate,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.  “This slight of hand is at best ineffective and at worst completely dishonest and cynical.  This freeze is empty rhetoric because it won’t actually reduce spending, or even hold it steady.  Montanans expect better.  My amendment essentially implements the spending freeze a year early – locking last year’s funding level in place.”

The national debt has grown to more than $13 trillion, which is more than $42,000 for every man, woman and child in America.  Despite not passing a budget for the coming year, the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee has requested $34.7 billion for next year.  That figure was $33.5 billion this year.  Rehberg’s Amendment reduces the 2011 funding figure to the 2010 level.

“I’ve joined Republicans in forgoing earmarks this year, promising it was the first step toward true comprehensive spending reform,” said Rehberg.  “My amendment gave my Democratic colleagues a chance to actually put taxpayers money where their mouths are, and they said no.  When it comes to fiscal reform, the distinction couldn’t be more clear.”

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to recent flooding on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

“While the flooding will recede, the damage it leaves behind will remain.  I’ve been in close contact with my staff in the area, and have contacted the Chairman and Tribal Council Members and offered whatever assistance I can provide.  As always, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work to make sure that the federal government’s response is as fast and effective as possible.  Jan and my thoughts and prayers are with those families that are displaced, and with the entire community as they begin the rebuilding process.”

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 H.R. 3415, a bill to suspend flood insurance rate map updates in areas when certain conditions are met.  The new flood maps became an issue after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided to no longer certify levies, requiring communities and individual homeowners to pick up the tab.  While one such deadline was extended in Great Falls, as many as 278 other Montana levees are currently affected or could be in the future.

“While I would prefer that the Corps of Engineers would resume its traditional role of certifying levies, the exposure to legal liability after Katrina made that unlikely” said Rehberg, a member of the bipartisan Congressional Levee Caucus.  “In the mean time, we need to fill the vacuum so Montana’s families don’t get stuck with the tab for a problem their government created.  This bill will provide the same relief across the state that homeowners in Great Falls received.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has traditionally certified levees that were originally built by the Corps and turned over to drainage districts or municipalities.  Failure to certify levees in turn forces municipalities or private homeowners to contract with private engineering firms, which is often very expensive because of the potential liability for a levee failure.  In fact, there are no such firms in Montana that currently issue certifications.  If no action is taken, homeowners could be forced to purchase flood insurance because FEMA maps would show that no levees exist.

H.R. 3415 would amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to prohibit FEMA from updating a flood plain area or risk zone in a geographic area that meets various conditions - notably in an area intended to be protected by a deficient levee.  New maps would not take effect if there is a levee with a design deficiency.  Without the maps in effect, mandatory purchase requirements would not occur for seven years so that communities have time to rebuild.  This legislation prohibits FEMA from updating a flood plain area if a repair plan has been developed and financed, and that the state or local government have instituted a plan that includes surveillance, remediation or evacuation plans if necessary.

“When it comes to flood insurance, we’re talking about humungous increases in premiums that will be impossible for people to pay,” said Sandy Mares, the Administrative Commissioner of the West Great Falls Flood Control and Drainage District.  “We really appreciate Denny’s legislation.  It would be a God-send that would give us a chance to work through this.  The delay would give us one less thing to worry about so we could focus on getting the problem solved.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, this week pressed the Bureau of Reclamation for information pertaining to their priorities and funding of Montana water projects.  The Bureau testified before the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, on which Rehberg sits.

“For tens of thousands of Montanans, water is the key to economic prosperity, job creation and a better quality of life that some in more urban areas take for granted,” said Rehberg.  “It’s my job to ensure Montana gets the biggest bang for its buck.  Unfortunately, this budget request makes Montana a donor state, and it’s my job to ask tough questions and hold Washington bureaucrats accountable for their decisions.”

At the hearing, Rehberg asked why the Bureau requested only $3 million for Montana’s rural water projects in Fiscal Year 2011 despite Montanans having paid roughly $50 million into the Reclamation Fund in previous years.  He asked how the Bureau prioritized projects and whether the budget request reflects the Bureau’s priorities.

Rehberg also asked how long he expected it to take to finish the Rocky Boy’s/North Central and Fort Peck/Dry Prairie projects at the current rate of $1-2 million a year, emphasizing that a more rapid investment in authorized projects would be preferable.  He emphasized that the Bureau should take a more proactive approach to completing construction on its ongoing projects to ensure these projects are completed in a timely manner.

“The Fort Peck Tribes and DryPrairie really appreciate Congressman Rehberg raising the issue of why Montana’s taxpayers are only getting back a fraction of what they pay into the BOR fund,” said Clint Jacobs, Manager, Dry Prairie Rural Water.  “Reclamation needs to do more, and the Tribes and Dry Prairie appreciate Denny’s efforts and support over the years to provide safe drinking water for Northeast Montana.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, joined the House Levee Caucus and sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with specific questions about their levee certification process.  He recently raised the issue, which impacts thousands of Montanans who live in the protection of Corps-certified levees in Montana, at an Appropriations hearing.

“Even after the notoriety of the New Orleans levee failures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, someone in the Army Corps of Engineers made the decision to stop certifying levees altogether,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Levee Caucus.  “That was the wrong decision, because it leaves struggling homeowners up a flooded creek without a paddle.  I’m working closely with the Corps to identify their concerns.  Once those are clear, I’ll be able to decide the best course forward, whether it’s legislative or administrative action.”

The Corps has traditionally certified levees that were originally built by the Corps and turned over to drainage districts.  The West Side Great Falls Levee, which was built by the Corps after a major flooding event in 1964, currently protects 1,000 homes near Great Falls.  Certifications were funded through the Inspection of Completed Works program. 

Failure of the Corps to certify levees in turn forces municipalities or private homeowners to contract with private engineering firms, which is often very expensive because of the potential liability for a levee failure.  In fact, there are no such firms in Montana that currently issue certifications.  If no action is taken, homeowners could be forced to purchase flood insurance because FEMA maps would show that no levees exist.

Although a major problem in Montana, this issue is by no means restricted solely to the Last Best Place.  The bipartisan Congressional Levee Caucus gives Rehberg a chance to amplify his concerns by teaming up with other members of Congress.  The Caucus Chairman, Rep. Rodney Alexander (LA-5), has indicated that levee certification is the number one priority for the Caucus.

“If these levies don’t get certified, our flood insurance costs will go sky high, while property values will fall,” said Sandy Mares, the Administrative Commissioner of the West Great Falls Flood Control and Drainage District.  “We all really appreciate Denny’s work on this important issue.”

“The scary part is that a lot of the folks who are in the path of the proverbial storm don’t even know it’s raining yet,” said Rehberg.  “We’ve got to work together to get this fixed, or Montanans are going to be fighting mad when their insurance rates increase.”

Letter below:

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, sent a letter to the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power requesting action on the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act, which he sponsored.  On September 22 of last year, that Subcommittee held a legislative hearing, although since then no action has been taken.

“This is an important piece of legislation, and I’ll keep fighting until it’s signed by the President,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Native American Caucus.  “I’ve worked with the Crow to address the concerns that were brought up at last year’s hearing, and it’s only fair to give this bill a chance to be heard at the full committee level.”

Rehberg’s legislation authorizes the federal component of a comprehensive settlement of the reserved water rights claimed by the Crow.  The bill approves the Crow Tribe Water Rights Compact reached between the tribe and other non-federal parties quantifying water rights and authorizing economic development projects.

The Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission was established by the Montana legislature in 1979 to resolve water compacts between the state and tribes.   The Commission and the Crow Tribe negotiated the Crow Tribe-Montana Compact in 1999.  The Montana Legislature ratified a Compact that same year.

“This water settlement is extremely important to the Crow Tribe and to the State of Montana,” said Cedric Black Eagle, Chairman of the Crow Tribe.  “We are deeply appreciative of Representative Rehberg’s efforts to keep this legislation moving as quickly as possible through the legislative process.”

LETTER:

Dear Chairwoman Napolitano and Ranking Member McClintock:  

I am writing to request your consideration of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 (H.R. 3563), which was heard by the Subcommittee on September 22, 2009.  Since that time, the parties to the compact have worked to address concerns raised during the hearing and in subsequent meetings with administration staff.  As such, I urge your action to move this bill through the committee process.

This legislation ratifies the water rights compact between the Crow Tribe and the State of Montana, which was agreed upon in 1999.  H.R. 3563 would help rehabilitate and improve the Crow Irrigation Project, and create jobs and lasting infrastructure for future generations.  Members of the Crow Tribe have long awaited a final resolution, and I urge your action to ensure this bill moves forward in a timely manner.

I respectfully request this bill be brought before the Subcommittee for markup at the earliest available date and referred to the full Committee on Natural Resources for its consideration.  Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a response to Senator Jon Tester (MT) regarding his request for a meeting to discuss his wilderness bill. Senator Tester sent a letter to Rehberg late last week asking the Congressman to meet him in his Senate office in Washington, DC to discuss the issue. Rehberg recently completed 22 public meetings in Montana on the subject of Senator Tester’s wilderness bill.

“While it’s clear that some fortunate interest groups have been very involved in writing this bill from the beginning, my goal is to include all Montanans who are impacted by this legislation,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus. “Each of my twenty-two meetings has been open to the public. I certainly don’t see a reason why a meeting with Senator Tester should be any different.” Rehberg asked Senator Tester to meet with him in Montana, rather than in his Washington, D.C. office, and that the meeting be open to the public and the press.

In his letter, Rehberg also asked Senator Tester to join him in posting the individual comments Senator Tester heard from Montanans at his “open house” meetings on his website. “As Montana’s representatives to the U.S. Congress, we have the honorable distinction of setting for ourselves a higher standard of openness and transparency,” wrote Rehberg in his letter.

Finally, Rehberg noted that all of Senator Tester’s “open house” meetings took place after his bill had been written and introduced. Since Senator Tester’s most recent meeting was more than two months ago, Rehberg asked to see the most recent working draft of his wilderness bill that contained any changes resulting from the input he received at those meetings.

“I think Montanans would like to see how their ideas are being implemented in the bill,” said Rehberg. “Seeing what progress has already been made would certainly make our meeting more productive since we could avoid concerns that have already been addressed.”

Complete Letter Below:

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