Congressman Denny Rehberg

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today contacted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging her to immediately freeze additional funding for the soon-to-be-one-way Port of Entry at Whitetail in Montana and to conduct a review before completing the $8.5 million project. The funding for the port has been a matter of national criticism for some time, all the more now that Canada has decided to close its side of the port, effectively making the port available only for Canadian entry into the United States.

“After hearing from the folks who live in northeast Montana, I can say that despite the popular myth that government waste is embraced by those who are supposed to benefit from it, Montanans aren’t happy about how their tax dollars are being wasted,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “$8.5 million is too much to spend for a press release and a ribbon cutting ceremony, and at this point, that looks to be the only benefit this project has. It’s my job to safeguard tax dollars, and I’m making sure this boondoggle doesn’t slip through the cracks.”

When it comes to the ‘so-called’ Stimulus, Rehberg has been a vocal critic of ongoing waste and an advocate for accountability and transparency. For example, he expressed frustration when the cost of the Billings Federal Courthouse ballooned from $35 million to almost $60 million as a result of the influx of stimulus funding. He has also fought against wasting millions of dollars creating the political highway signs crediting the ‘so-called’ Stimulus with funding for construction projects.

“I recommend that the Department of Homeland Security conduct a thorough review to determine whether the Port of Whitetail should remain open,” wrote Rehberg in his letter. “Furthermore, I recommend that the Department freeze any further ARRA spending at the Port of Whitetail until this review can be completed. I believe the Department would do a great disservice to the American taxpayer if it completed construction at the Port of Whitetail and later closed the Port due to lack of use.”

Dear Secretary Napolitano:

Last week, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced its intention to close Saskatchewan’s Port of Big Beaver on April 1, 2011. As you know, Big Beaver is the sister location to Montana’s Whitetail Port of Entry.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $420 million for the modernization of land ports operated by Customs and Border Patrol. According to Recovery.gov, $8.5 million of this allocation is to be spent modernizing and upgrading the Port of Whitetail.

Given that fewer than five vehicles per day pass through Whitetail, its proximity to the Port of Scobey just 12 miles away, and the upcoming closure of its Canadian counterpart; my constituents and I question the wisdom of spending millions of taxpayer dollars modernizing the Port of Whitetail.

Last Fall, following widespread concern about the cost of port modernization projects on the Northern Border, your office appointed an independent committee to conduct a 30-day review of the project allocations. During this review, the independent committee visited the Port of Whitetail and a handful of other ports before making several recommendations in a document entitled 30-Day CBP Port Modernization Review: Summary and Department Response. Among their recommendations, the independent committee suggested that:

“The Department should conduct periodic studies to determine whether any ports of entry should be closed. Although permanent closure of a port of entry involves a number of complex considerations (international relations and impacts on local residents to name just two), some of the facilities that currently exist are separated by only several miles and have low traffic volumes.”

According to that same document, the Department of Homeland Security responded to this suggestion, saying that: “This recommendation will be taken under advisement and reviewed in consultation with the interagency.”

While I understand the need for interagency consultation, I believe that CBSA’s closure of the Big Beaver port dramatically impacts the current plans for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Port.

Due to the Canadian decision to close the Port of Big Beaver, I recommend that the Department of Homeland Security conduct a thorough review to determine whether the Port of Whitetail should remain open. Furthermore, I recommend that the Department freeze any further ARRA spending at the Port of Whitetail until this review can be completed. I believe the Department would do a great disservice to the American taxpayer if it completed construction at the Port of Whitetail and later closed the Port due to lack of use.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-3211.

Sincerely,

Public meetings scheduled for Cascade, Hill, Blaine and Valley Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 13, 2010-– Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has scheduled four Listening Sessions across 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 17 and July 18, 2010:

Cascade County – Great Falls
Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 12 PM
Cascade County Courthouse
415 2nd Avenue North

Hill County—Havre
Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 3 PM
Applied Technology Center Hensler Auditorium
MSU-Northern
300 West 11th Street

Blaine County—Chinook
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 1 PM
Blaine County Library
94 4th Street

Valley County—Glasgow
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Glasgow Civic Center
319 3rd Street South

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,

Town Hall Meetings Set For Toole, Glacier, Flathead, Lake, Mineral, Ravalli & Missoula Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has scheduled seven Listening Sessions across Western Montana for the July 4 District Work Period.  This continues his open-door policy of holding open meetings where anyone can come 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 were framed by the input I received from thousands of Montanans who attended the listening sessions I’ve already held.  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 5 and July 9, 2010:

Toole County—Shelby
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Shelby Civic Center
669 Park Avenue

Glacier County—Cut Bank
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Joe Meagher Civic Center
800 East Railroad Street

Flathead County—Kalispell
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 10 AM
FVCC Arts and Technology, Room 139
777 Grandview Drive

Lake County—Polson
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Lake County Courthouse
106 4th Avenue

Mineral County—Superior
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Superior High School
410 Arizona Avenue

Ravalli County—Hamilton
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 2 PM
Marcus Daily Hospital
1200 Westwood Drive

Missoula County—Missoula
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 10 AM
Continuing Education Center
32 Campus Drive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has scheduled a listening session in Phillips County – his forty-third such public event this Congress.  The event will be held at the County Courthouse in Malta on Tuesday, April 6 at 3 pm.  It is open to the public.

“When it comes to major votes on everything from health care reform to cap and tax, bailouts and so-called stimulus bills, I think there’s a direct correlation between how a representative votes and how much time they’ve spent listening to the people they represent.  After hearing what Montanans had to say about these important issues, I can’t imagine voting differently than I have.”

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