Congressman Denny Rehberg

Public meetings scheduled for Yellowstone, Carbon, Rosebud & Prairie Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. -– Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has scheduled four more Listening Sessions in Montana.  This continues his open-door policy of holding open meetings where anyone can attend and Rehberg takes comments and questions from all comers.

“Government transparency is only useful if it’s coupled with accountability,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “It’s easy to sit behind a desk in Washington and wait for the phone to ring, and that’s what some of my colleagues have decided to do.  But I made a commitment years ago to visit each of Montana’s 56 counties each Congress, to listen and learn what the people I represent think about where our country is headed.  In turn, my actions are framed by the input I receive from thousands of Montanans who attend the listening sessions.  That’s why I voted against Obama’s takeover of health care and against every single bailout including the biggest bailout of them all, the ‘so-called’ stimulus. ”

Rehberg scheduled the following Listening Sessions between July 24 and July 25, 2010:

Yellowstone County—Billings
Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 12 PM
MSU-Billings Student Union, Lewis and Clark Room
1500 University Drive

Carbon County—Red Lodge
Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 3 PM
New Roosevelt Middle School
413 South Oaks

Rosebud County—Forsyth
Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 1 PM
Fair Office Conference Room
513 North 16th Street

Prairie County—Terry
Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 3:30 PM
Badlands Café and Scoop Shoppe
205 S. Logan  Avenue

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, today introduced legislation that would exempt the State of Montana from the provisions of the Antiquities Act, which allow the President to circumvent public opposition and congressional oversight to designate land as a National Monument.  The introduction comes after the discovery of an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Interior, which outlined plans to misuse the Antiquities Act to designate 13 million acres in 11 Western States.  This figure includes 2.5 million acres in Montana.

“For more than a century, the Antiquities Act has served a valuable function in the preservation of America’s natural treasures, making it all the more tragic that it’s now being misused for a 13 million-acre land-grab,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Western Caucus.  “When it comes to land in Montana, we’ve got a long-standing tradition of working together to find consensus-based solutions.  Circumventing that tradition by unilaterally carving out millions of acres with the stroke of a pen is not the American way.  The President is not a king, and we are not his subjects, which is why congressional checks and balances are so important.”

Rehberg, who recently sent a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar demanding details on the proposals, introduced H.R. 4754, which requires 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.

“This isn’t about undermining a good law,” said Rehberg.  “It’s about preventing a good law from being abused.  It’s about ensuring Montanans are heard and preventing a bureaucratic overreach.  It’s about making sure that we aren’t rendered landless in our own state because a big-city politician thought it would be fun to shut us out of our land.”

The Department of Interior Memo can be found here: http://robbishop.house.gov/UploadedFiles/states_for_designation.pdf

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today voted in support of passage of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. Rehberg is a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.

“So much of Montana’s economy and quality of life depends upon energy production and clean drinking water,” said Rehberg. “Serving on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee gives Montana a pretty big seat at the table when it comes to funding these priorities.”

The projects are listed below:

Rocky Boy/North Central Montana Water Project - $9 Million

The Rocky Boy’s/North Central Water Project is a municipal, rural and industrial water system proposed for an eight county area in north central Montana. It will serve the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and thirteen surrounding communities through a partnership between Montana’s Chippewa Cree Tribe and its non-Tribal Partners in the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority. Poor quality drinking water, major water supply constraints and the high costs for compliance with federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations established a critical need for funding this project. In fact, some of the affected communities are already under federal mandate to improve their drinking water systems and others are on boil orders. The North Central Water Project will deliver water to roughly 30,000 Montanans. The project will also provide infrastructure to pipe water to the Rocky Boy’s Reservation.

“The Authority can’t thank Congressman Rehberg enough for his hard work on the Appropriations Committee and the fact that he again secured federal dollars for the construction of the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System,” said Dan Keil, Chairman, North Central Montana Regional Water Authority. “Congressman Rehberg knows that many of the 23 communities that make up the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority need immediate help for their water systems and we are appreciative of his efforts to get this System built. Someday this water project will deliver clean and safe drinking water to over 30,000 Montanans who desperately need it.”

Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Water Project - $8 Million

The funds will be used by the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes to complete their regional water treatment plant and extend the main transmission pipelines to Poplar and Wolf Point. Treated water that reaches Poplar will serve the third largest community in the project and replace existing water supplies threatened by Brine Plume contamination. The Project, as authorized by Congress in 2000, calls for the water to be diverted from the Missouri River at a single location south of Poplar, MT, to an intake system or an infiltration gallery. After treatment, it will serve both tribal and off-reservation communities that desperately need a clean water supply.

“Fort Peck/Dry Prairie is grateful for the FY 2010 funding mark supplied by Rep. Rehberg through his continued efforts as a member of the House Appropriations Committee on Energy and Water,” said Clint Jacobs, General Manager for Dry Prairie. “The bulk of these funds will be applied toward completion of the main distribution pipelines from the project’s water treatment plant to the communities of Wolf Point and Poplar.”

Milk River/St. Mary Diversion Rehabilitation - $3.5 Million

The St. Mary Rehabilitation Project serves the entire Milk River Basin with both irrigation and clean drinking water. Over 100 years ago, the United States government recognized the benefit of agriculture production in the region between western Glacier County and the lower Milk River after which the Bureau of Reclamation made significant investments in infrastructure along the St. Mary and Milk River Basins. However, 100 years have taken a toll on these facilities and the diversion is in serious need of modernization and rehabilitation.

“To say we’re elated is an understatement for what Congressman Rehberg has done for our efforts to keep the Saint Mary Diversion System operational,” said Larry Mires, Executive Director for the Saint Mary Rehabilitation Working Group. “It’s been a long journey and this appropriation means we can continue to assure irrigation for 140,000 acres of land and clean water for 18,000 people in the 13 communities of the Milk River Basin. This project is the lifeline of the hi-line.”

Center for Zero Emissions Research & Technology - $3 Million

In a coal producing state like Montana, the ability to monitor and validate deep geological carbon dioxide sequestration from coal is extremely important. New technologies hold great promise to significantly reduce emissions from fossil fuels, but the engineering, economic, and environmental viability of these zero emission fossil energy technologies must be confirmed.

“The continued funding resulting from Congressman Rehberg’s support for the Zero Emissions Research and Technology Center (ZERT) will allow us to continue development of key tools that benefit the carbon sequestration program,” said Lee Spangler, Director of the Energy Research Institute and ZERT at Montana State University. “This includes development and testing of new detection technologies, improved simulation models, and biologically based methods of plugging leaky wells. It also helps Montana State continue a leadership role in carbon sequestration.”

Sythesis of Renewable Biofuels from Biomass - $500,000

With these funds, the Montana Physical Sciences Foundation will work for the Department of Energy to develop technology to convert sources of rural biomass like wheat straw, wood and grass into renewable biofuel. Montana currently has 3 million tons of waste wheat straw and 2.8 million tons of wood mill waste and logging residue, which could be converted into approximately 1,044 million gallons of biofuel each year. Such technology would be scaled for location within the rural communities, at the source of the feedstock, creating locally-based jobs for rural Montanans.

“Thanks to Denny, this project will help develop advanced, renewable biofuels that will provide immediate research jobs as well as lead to new technologies that will help expand the alternative energy market right here in Montana,” said Lawrence C. Farrar, President of Resodyn Corporation. “This funding is an example of Denny’s vision and commitment to the importance of a diversified domestic energy portfolio in Montana. He also understands how to get the most out of Montana’s resources - both natural and human. We are looking forward to undertaking the project and greatly appreciate the support of our Montana delegation.”

Geothermal Development in Hot Springs Valley - $491,000

Hydrologists believe that a water source at the Lake County hot springs may be hot enough deep in the earth for geothermal power production. Geothermal energy is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. It’s an important, renewable source of energy that can be produced domestically. While cost-effective and environmentally friendly, it can only be tapped in very specific locations, which makes it important to locate hot spots.

“The Hot Springs area in Lake County, Montana is a proven source for geothermal. Shallow wells indicate that the source goes deeper,” said Kenneth Sugden, General Manager for Flathead Electric Cooperative. “This project will allow Flathead Electric to continue drilling in shallow wells to verify the potential source of development. Geothermal power is a valuable source of distributed, renewable power for the area.”

Yellowstone River Corridor - $519,000

The Yellowstone River Study is a grassroots project defining cumulative effects to the river and establishing the best management practices that local governments and private landowners can implement. The purpose of the project is to improve management of the Yellowstone River including both the waters and adjacent lands. The project assists with the removal of invasive plants such as the Russian olive and is a catalyst for fish passage projects and helps to improve irrigation infrastructures for endangered species like the pallid sturgeon. Additionally the Yellowstone River Corridor project considers how far the Yellowstone River channel is likely to migrate in the next 50 years so future species protection and irrigation infrastructure that involves higher costs will provide better planning. It is proving to be a model for economic sustainability while providing sensible environmental protection, eliminating costly spending on litigation and controversy.

“The Yellowstone River Conservation District Council would like to thank Congressman Denny Rehberg for his support of the Yellowstone River Corridor Comprehensive Study,” said Nicole McClain, Coordinator of the Yellowstone River Conservation District Council. “The $200,000 will help complete the decade long study of the entire Yellowstone River system, which is aimed at developing the first citizen-based voluntary management plan on a river system of such national importance. We hope this study will serve as a model that demonstrates how to maintain and improve the health of river systems while simultaneously enhancing productivity.”

Rural Montana Water Projects - $4,844,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $4 Million for the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Water Project. The funding was included in the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“I have been working along-side dedicated tribal and community leaders for several years to bring this project on-line,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. “Now, thanks to their efforts, the project is one more step closer to completion, and thousands of Montana families will have safe, clean drinking water for years to come.”

The funds will be used by the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes to complete their regional water treatment plant and extend the main transmission pipelines to Poplar and Wolf Point. Treated water that reaches Poplar will serve the third largest community in the project and replace existing water supplies threatened by Brine Plume contamination. The Project, as authorized by Congress in 2000, calls for the water to be diverted from the Missouri River at a single location south of Poplar, MT, to an intake system or an infiltration gallery. After treatment, it will serve both tribal and off-reservation communities that desperately need a clean water supply.

“Fort Peck/Dry Prairie is grateful for the FY 2010 funding mark supplied by Rep. Rehberg through his continued efforts as a member of the House Appropriations Committee on Energy and Water,” said Clint Jacobs, General Manager for Dry Prairie. “The bulk of these funds will be applied toward completion of the main distribution pipelines from the project’s water treatment plant to the communities of Wolf Point and Poplar.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $250,000 for a Diabetes Center at Billings Clinic to address type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The funding was included in the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“The Billings Clinic is a leading source of adult diabetes care and education in the west,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “Their approach to health care is comprehensive and effective, and I’m proud to support their work and help ensure diabetes patients are getting great care in Montana.”

This funding will be used by Billings Clinic’s Diabetes Center to provide physician assessment, ophthalmology, dietary consultation and classes, individual and family education from Certified Diabetic Educators, and support from Social Services.

“Billings Clinic thanks Congressman Rehberg and our entire delegation for their support of diabetes care in Montana,” Luke Kobold, Director of Public Affairs. “There is a well-documented crisis in the United States and this funding will help expand our diabetes program where children and adults can receive comprehensive care to help them manage all aspects of living with diabetes.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $400,000 for St. Vincent Healthcare to purchase a digital mammography unit for a mobile van providing service in Eastern Montana. The funding was included in the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“Access and affordability are necessary components for rural healthcare,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “When it comes to breast cancer, early detection saves lives. This funding will help St. Vincent bring critical mammography services to women across eastern Montana in a way that addresses the unique challenges rural medicine faces.”

The survivability of breast cancer is significantly improved with early detection. Most eastern Montana healthcare facilities lack certified mammography programs, which leave thousands of women hundreds of miles away from such services. St. Vincent Healthcare requested funding for a digital mammography unit housed in a mobile van so that mammography services can reach these underserved women.

“St. Vincent Healthcare is pleased to partner with Congressman Denny Rehberg to bridge the technology gap that exists in preventative care for the women of our region,” said David Irion, Executive Director of St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation. “The ability to transport digital mammography equipment to small communities, Indian Health Services clinics and VA clinics is a healthcare innovation providing the most advanced care at lower costs to communities throughout the region. We thank Congressman Rehberg for supporting this investment in the healthcare of rural Montana women.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, contacted both the USDA Risk Management Association and the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) expressing concerns that the Group Risk Plan (GRP) has failed to fairly repay Montana producers from losses incurred due to droughts in 2008.  The GRP is a pilot program backed by the USDA Risk Management Agency.

“For some federal bureaucrats sitting behind a desk in Washington, D.C., this problem will be seen as a simple question of statistics and number crunching,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “For any of Montana’s ag producers in Dawson, Richland, McCone, Roosevelt or Sheridan Counties, this is literally a matter of survival and it’s my job to bring that sense of urgency to Washington, D.C.”

When drought conditions caused a reduced harvest in 2008, many Montana producers counted on insurance money from the GRP for the premiums they paid.  They were told, instead, that they will not receive payments until 2010, if at all.  The program uses data collected by the National Ag Statistics Service, which depends on written surveys of harvested land, but fails to account for land which is not even harvested because of drought conditions.  In a letter to the USDA, Rehberg challenged this methodology as failing to reflect true the loss in a county.  Rehberg asked USDA to provide producers the payments that they need, but are not receiving.

“This needs to get corrected quickly,” said Rehberg.  “These folks invested their money in good faith and have every right to be upset when the government does not uphold its end of the deal.”

Letter:

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Congressman’s Position on House Appropriations Committee Results in over $8 Million in Funding for Montana Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $8.387 million in agricultural funding for projects throughout the state, including $4.641 million for three separate efforts at Montana State University – Bozeman.  Funding includes $3.654 million for the Animal Bioscience Facility, $305,000 for the development of a Brucellosis Vaccine and $682,000 for research into Sustainable Beef Supply.  The funding was included in the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“There are some very exciting projects at Montana State University that will have tremendous benefits for Montana’s number one economic sector,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “The state-of-the-art Animal Bioscience Complex at Montana State University will propel Montana to the forefront of technological advancement in agriculture, while work on a Brucellosis Vaccine and Sustainable Beef Supply continues to keep our products safe and marketable.”

The construction of an Animal Biosciences Research Facility will benefit Montana’s livestock industry.  This state-of-the-art facility will help improve economic and environmental sustainability in the production of safe, high quality and consistent beef products.  Rehberg secured $2.192 million for this project last year.

“I appreciate the support of Congressman Rehberg and his effort toward ag research and education, in particular the range-livestock industry,” said Jeff Jacobsen, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station.  “The federal building monies bring us that much closer to construction of the USDA ARS building which will be ‘catching up’ to the MSU academic building currently being built through private donations. This partnership will create untold developments for the Montana seedstock industry and the livestock industry in general.”

The presence of Brucellosis in the wildlife of Yellowstone National Park poses a continuous threat to livestock production in the states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.  Recent outbreaks of brucellosis and the loss of Montana’s brucellosis-free status underscore the need for an effective brucellosis vaccine.  This appropriation will have a tremendously positive impact on Montana’s cattle and tourism industries by funding MSU Bozeman’s efforts to find a brucellosis vaccine that protects both wildlife and cattle.

“Vaccine development takes time and we have made good advancements in creating new vaccines with stronger efficacy than currently available ones,” said Jacobsen.  “Better tools for disease management in wildlife, and livestock and humans will be the result.”

The Montana Beef Network (MBN) helps Montana beef producers improve best-practices for raising and marketing their products.  MBN also ages and source verifies calves from birth until harvest to ensure quality and increase profitability.  This integrated approach to quality management helps Montana’s producers grow a sustainable beef supply to increase income for the individual and the State.

“Connecting ranch and livestock management practices to the entire meat supply chain with the customer, the consumer, in mind creates a modern and dynamic network,” said Jacobsen.  “Stewardship practices, quality assurance, biosecurity, animal ID, food security and other food system issues are researched, tested and outreach is provided tailored to each ranch.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has asked Japan to lift its restrictions on American boneless beef from cattle aged over 20 months, after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) removed age limits on boneless beef from countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.  The request was formally made in a letter dated June 18, 2009 following a policy reversal by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to lift age limits on countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.

“Montana’s beef producers do everything possible to ensure the safety and quality of their product, and they turn out the best beef in the world,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “But obsolete trade restrictions take our beef off the shelves in Japan, and hurt Montana’s economy.  Now that the policy behind the Japanese ban has been reversed, it’s time to open markets to Montana producers.”

Japan enacted a ban on U.S. beef imports following the confirmed discovery of a single case of BSE in a Canadian-born dairy cow in Washington State in December 2003.  The U.S. beef industry responded with stricter guidelines, new testing procedures, and plant investigations, leading to the resumption of limited beef trade with Japan, and other countries, in 2005.

“I’m proud of Montana’s beef producers and their relentless efforts to reopen the export market with Japan,” Rehberg wrote.  “Japan’s age restrictions on beef from American cattle have limited U.S. beef exports to approximately 25% of their pre-BSE levels … With better testing and more stringent safety precautions, OIE came to the wise conclusion that it should no longer impose age restrictions on beef from American cattle.  OIE understands the significance of these common-sense testing and safety precautions, and your action is necessary to ensure that Japan follows suit,” said Rehberg in the letter to Trade Representative Kirk.

Letter:

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