Congressman Denny Rehberg

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

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

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, today announced that his Washington, D.C.-based Scheduler Madeleine Coleman was chosen as Montana’s 2010 Cherry Blossom Princess. Coleman has worked for Rehberg since May of last year. Her Princess duties will occur in Washington, D.C. during the week of April 4.

“I can’t think of anyone better suited to represent Montana as our Cherry Blossom Princess,” said Rehberg. “As my scheduler, she’s tackled a pretty big job with the grace and poise that will help her do a fantastic job representing our state.”

Each Spring, Cherry Blossom Princesses from every state and territory come to the nation’s capital to commemorate the 1912 gift of Japanese cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington. The two-week festival involves an array of activities and cultural events, including the crowning of a Cherry Blossom Queen, who is chosen by chance from the assembled princesses.

Madeleine, from Belgrade, Montana, is daughter of Martin and Jennifer Coleman. She attended Manhattan Christian High School in Churchill, Montana. After graduating from Denison University with a degree in Economics, she joined Rehberg’s staff in May of 2009. She is active in her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and served on the Denison University Community Rights and Standards Board.

“I love Montana, and I’m so excited to bring a little bit of ‘The Last Best Place’ to D.C.,” Madeleine says.

WASHINGTON, DC – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today posted a list of verbal and written comments he heard from Montanans during the 22 public meetings he held regarding Sen. Jon Tester’s Wilderness bill. The comments are posted in the “Transparency Center” portion of Rehberg’s congressional website. Last week, Rehberg promised to take this action in a letter to Senator Tester and asked the Senator to join him in doing so in order to maximize transparency in the legislative process.

“I heard from hundreds of Montanans, each with their own ideas and opinions,” said Rehberg, “While ideas will vary in merit, each deserves to at least be heard and considered in a public forum. That’s what I’m trying to do – put them all in the bucket and see which ones end up floating.”

Rehberg has laid out a number of these comments as examples of what he’d like to see changed in the underlying legislation. One proposal, addressing an overriding concern heard in 22 listening sessions, is the notion of a wilderness ‘phase-in’ that would time the creation of new wilderness to the active management of other lands. This solution would alleviate the concern that as soon as the bill becomes law, the wilderness designations are immediate, while there is no assurance that stewardship components would not be infinitely delayed by litigation.

Rehberg, who relayed multiple suggestions in real-time to the public and the press during the course of his listening tour, has gathered a wide array of additional ideas for changes to the legislation including boundary line concerns from farmers and ranchers, preservation of recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, and maintaining the ability to accurately inventory natural resources like molybdenum.

“There’s no silver bullet here,” warned Rehberg. “There are a lot of very good ideas that should each be considered on their own merit. While I appreciate the buy-in from the partnerships that helped draft the bill, this legislation affects all Montanans who deserve the right to be heard. In addition to some other fixes, an incremental phase-in would help ensure logging isn’t bogged down by lawsuits after new wilderness areas are designated.”

Comments can be found online at http://rehberg.house.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Montanan’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following new restrictions that would limit access to Yellowstone National Park to 318 snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches per day.

“Montana’s snowmobilers are suffering from regulatory whiplash.  The ongoing off-and-on process between two judges and the Department of Interior has put the whims of bureaucrats and lawyers ahead of the needs of Montanans trying to enjoy this outdoor recreational activity in the Park.  The uncertainty of each winter season continues to have negative impacts on jobs throughout the surrounding small business and tourism industries.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a letter to Governor Brian Schweitzer requesting a declaration of emergency for counties and reservations adversely impacted by record-cold temperatures across the state. Rehberg, who has been in close contact with stakeholders throughout Montana as well as representatives from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his letter that a formal declaration of emergency was necessary for federal relief measures to get underway.

“While we can’t yet quantify the specific damage done to the sugar beet and potato crops, every producer, county commissioner and agriculture organization I’ve talked with has agreed that there will be serious damage,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and a rancher. “I’ve got the USDA standing by, but before they can do anything, they need a formal declaration from the Governor.”

In an early morning conference call this morning, Rehberg’s office was told that there are at least 19 counties and four Indian Reservations that are adversely impacted by the cold weather. The Indian Reservations impacted include: Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Fort Peck and Flathead. The counties include; Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Choteau, Custer, Dawson, Gallatin, Lake, Madison, Powell, Prairie, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Stillwater, Treasure, and Yellowstone. More counties may be added to the list before the damage is fully assessed.

A similar action was recently taken with the on-going declaration of disaster for drought related conditions in Glacier and Teton counties.

Letter:

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $100,000 for the renovation of the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) Garfield Community Center. The funding was included in the House Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“The Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch has a proven track record of helping at-risk kids and troubled families turn things around,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Renovations to the former Garfield School will help them continue that important work by better meeting the needs of Native Americans, young adults, and families in our communities.”

The Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch is a multi-service organization that provides mental health programs and services for Montana youths and their families. The project will allow YBGR to renovate a computer training lab, a vocational training kitchen, and counseling and healthcare offices. These renovations will bring the building up to acceptable standards for housing programs for at-risk youth.

“Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch is elated that Representative Rehberg was successful in obtaining a $100,000 appropriation for the Garfield Community Center,” said Jani McCall, Vice President for Government Relations at YBGR. “This funding will be used for renovations in the old school building. It is our hope that the Garfield Community Center will become the nexus where individuals, families and neighbors from the south side will come together individually and collectively for support and celebration. Representative Rehberg has once again hit a home run for his hometown. We cannot begin to adequately thank him for his continued leadership and support of Billings and Montana.”

WASHINGTON – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today introduced legislation that requires the United States Treasury to mint a 1907 Augustus Saint-Gaudens palladium bullion coin.  Montana is the only source of palladium in the United States, which is mined at Stillwater Mine.

“There are more than thirteen-hundred Montanans at Stillwater Mine right now who are worried because the government-controlled General Motors yanked the contract that feeds their families out from under them,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “This bill won’t replace the GM contract, but by creating a new bullion coin, minted from a resource produced solely in our backyard, we can increase demand to provide a boost for Stillwater at a time when they really need one.”

General Motors, which is 60% equity owned by American taxpayers after accepting TARP funds, recently decided to cancel its contract for palladium with Stillwater Mine.  GM will instead get its palladium from mines in Russia and South Africa.

The Rehberg-sponsored H.R. 3405 requires the reproduction of the Augustus Saint-Gaudens $20 coin which was minted in 1907.  It is widely considered one of the most beautiful U.S. coins ever minted.  Though the original coin was made of gold, the new coins would be made from palladium, a precious metal produced exclusively in two southern Montana mines operated by the Stillwater Mining Company.

“The proposed legislation which would create an Ultra-High Relief Saint-Gaudens palladium bullion coin is terribly exciting for the men and women of the Stillwater Mining Company of Montana who proudly produce palladium from the extraordinarily majestic Beartooth Mountains immediately north of Yellowstone National Park,” said Frank McAllister, Chairman & CEO of the Stillwater Mining Company.  “I am most grateful to Congressman Rehberg for his support of this important bill.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today announced listening sessions in sixteen of Montana’s 56 counties in August.  Rehberg makes it a point to visit each of Montana’s counties each congressional term.

“Traveling Montana and visiting with folks from every corner of the state is one of the best parts of my job” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “It gives me a chance to hear from Montanans, many of whom who feel like Congress isn’t responsive to their concerns.  Rather than a month of me telling folks what they should think, these listening sessions let me listen and learn from Montanans so I can bring some of that Western common sense to the debates in Washington, D.C.”

Rehberg’s full listening session tour for August is listed below.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, called for a hearing in the House Committee on Natural Resources to “examine why government-owned General Motors would choose to void a contract with domestic miners in favor of minerals from foreign countries.” The request for a hearing would provide subpoena authority to compel representatives from GM to answer questions, something they flatly refused to do when asked last week.

“There are some tough questions that need answers, and if we can’t get them voluntarily, we’ll get them by force of law,” said Rehberg a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Montanans deserve to know why GM decided American jobs weren’t important anymore, and why they think it’s acceptable to skirt environmental regulations, worker safety and fair labor agreements.”

Rehberg’s letter to Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-03) who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee and Rep. Jim Costa (CA-20) who chairs the Subcommittee on Energy and Minerals was also signed by the Ranking Member of the Full Committee Rep. Doc Hastings (WA-04) as well as Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05).

“Frankly, GM is owned by the American taxpayer now,” concluded Rehberg. “They ought to be subjected to the same rigorous oversight we exercise over any other government agency. When a member of Congress asks them to answer some questions on behalf of their constituents, ‘no’ is not an acceptable answer.”

Letter:

July 24, 2009

The Honorable Nick Rahall
Chairman
House Committee on Natural Resources
1324 Longworth House office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Jim Costa
Chairman
Subcommittee on Energy and Minerals
1626 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Rahall and Chairman Costa,

Yesterday, numerous articles reported that U.S. taxpayer-subsidized and federally-owned General Motors Company recently decided to void a contract and cut ties with a Montana mining company, Stillwater Mining, in favor of importing minerals from foreign nations. We are deeply concerned about this development and its impact on American jobs.

We request that the Committee on Natural Resources hold a hearing as soon as possible, at either the full or subcommittee level, and next week if at all possible, to examine why government-owned General Motors would choose to void a contract with domestic miners in favor of minerals from foreign countries. As you know, the Mineral Policy Act says the “continuing policy of the Federal Government [and] in the national interest to foster and encourage private enterprise in (1) the development of economically sound and stable domestic mining, minerals, metal and mineral reclamation industries.”

Specifically, we are asking for a panel which includes:

A representative of the President’s Auto Task Force;
A representative of General Motors Corporation;
A representative of Stillwater Mining Company;
A representative from the United States Geological Survey who can address domestic mineral commodity prices, supply and demand; and
A representative from the Department of Commerce who can address global trade issues related to domestic mineral requirements.

After investing billions into General Motors for the purpose of “job preservation,” the American people deserve to hear why their tax dollars are being spent to actually eliminate American mining jobs.

Sincerely,