Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has contacted the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator, John Pistole, urging a decision on the application of three Montana airports to participate in the Screening Partnership Program (SPP). This program allows small airports to contract with private security screeners instead of TSA officials in order to save money and improve service. Airports in Butte, Kalispell and West Yellowstone have been waiting for Homeland Security approval for too long. The Missoula airport has also applied to join SPP, though their application is more recent.

“Sometimes it takes a little nudge to get the federal government moving on something they should be doing on their own,” said Rehberg, a member of the House General Aviation Caucus. “In this case, these airports have been waiting for far too long to know whether or not they’ve been approved. A favorable decision to allow these airports to employ private security screeners will save money and create private sector jobs. Frankly, it’s time for Homeland Security to make a decision.”

In 2004, the TSA established a program to allow small airports to employ private security screeners instead of TSA officials if the Department of Homeland Security deemed it more cost effective to do so. This program was based on a pilot program started in 2001.

Since then, 17 airports and one heliport have been approved to join the program including seven EAS airports in Montana.

Four other Montana airports – Missoula, Butte, Kalispell, West Yellowstone – have submitted requests to join the Screening Partnership Program, but none of these airports has received a final decision. Butte has been waiting since Spring 2009 and West Yellowstone and Kalispell have been waiting since Fall 2009.

“The Flathead Municipal Airport Authority, following a considerable amount of due diligence, submitted an application to participate in the SPP program in October 2009,” said Glacier Park International Airport Director Cindi Martin. “The Authority firmly believes that this program will meet our customer service and security staffing needs - now and in the future. But because of lengthy and unexplained delays on TSA’s part, we are unable to move forward. We thank Denny for his attention to this matter, and we hope that TSA will finally address this issue.”

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.”

WASINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement following the Department of the Interior announcing the decision to list the greater sage-grouse endangered status as “warranted but precluded from ESA protection.”  According to the Montana Sage Grouse Work Group, the state of Montana currently supports an estimated 27 million acres of greater sage grouse-inhabited grasslands, while the group’s management plan puts into effect several measures for conserving and improving the bird’s habitat.  The determination to classify a species as warranted but precluded occurs when the appropriate agency has found that a species merits listing as either endangered or threatened under the ESA, but that practically, the listing cannot occur because of other pending proposals to list species.  Each warranted but precluded determination must be updated annually to show expeditious progress in listing those species.

“For our ranchers, farmers and anyone who makes a living off the land, the ESA can be a four-letter word.  Every week, the Interior Department is taking drastic steps to interfere in the proven efforts of the local land owners and managers who are personally invested in safeguarding precious resources like sage-grouse.”

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. – 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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In early January, I held 21 public listening sessions and meetings, to hear what Montanans had to say about Senator Tester’s bill to designate more than 600,000 acres of new wilderness. Hundreds of Montanans attended, each with the opportunity to stand up to offer an opinion. Next weekend, I will finish my listening tour in Libby, although I will continue taking input by phone, letter, email, fax, Facebook or any way Montanans care to contact me.

You don’t need to spend too much time in Western Montana to see the need for good forest stewardship. While problems like fires and beetle infestations were around long before man settled among the trees, we now have the ability to manage these challenges to create healthier forests and build a stronger economy.

The hard part is finding a balance between stewardship and wilderness because too much of either can damage the health of both the forest and the economy. It’s also important that such a balance come from a broad consensus of stakeholders.

Over the years, various partnerships between people with similar interests have emerged. Senator Tester’s effort to bring many of these partnerships to the table to develop a collaborative piece of legislation is commendable.

The fruits of that collaboration were evident in the support I heard for Senator Tester’s bill at my public meetings. But I also discovered that many people with legitimate and important concerns about the bill were left out of the process entirely. These Montanans deserve to be heard, and it’s my job to listen to them.

That’s why my first step was a listening tour to field comments, suggestions and concerns about this legislation. And while the comments varied, one theme remained consistent — something needs to be done to move the process forward and end the deadlock facing our public lands, and any such legislation needs to be balanced.

And I listened.

I got a lot of input, and heard some very good ideas:

One idea is to create a graduated trigger for wilderness designation. Under current provisions in the bill, new wilderness would be created on day one, while the designated forest management areas risk perpetual limbo in an endless sea of legal appeals. Radio-man John Schuyler suggested an incremental approach. Each parcel of new wilderness would be created once a certain number of acres were opened to stewardship, or a certain number of jobs created.

A representative of the Montana Backcountry Horsemen expressed his strong support for Senator Tester’s bill, saying that it would afford many benefits to the ailing timber industry while improving fish and wildlife habitat.

A supporter of Senator Tester’s legislation argued that Montana was overdue for a wilderness designation since the last one was 26 years ago.

A representative of the Montana Woolgrowers Association asked that “hard release” language be added to the bill in order to end the management of de-facto wilderness in places like Montana’s seven Wilderness Study Areas.

Over the course of the meetings, it became evident to me that a collaborative effort does not necessarily yield a consensus. I could collaborate with my wife Jan to decide that the Rehberg family should watch The Sound of Music on movie night, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the family will think that’s a good idea. And while the fundamental idea may be sound, when making a decision that affects the whole family, the whole family ought to be involved.

Unfortunately, in this case, some industries like timber were invited to the table, while others were excluded. For example, our state motto is Oro y plata, an homage to our mining heritage. Yet the resource industry wasn’t included in the drafting of the legislation. Similarly, some members of the agricultural community found themselves on the outside looking in.

As I stated on my listening tour, this legislation is the first step, not the end of the process. The majority of Montanans agree there are places in our state that ought to be protected as wilderness, and areas that should be managed for healthier forests. I commend Senator Tester and his partnerships for their bill. Now that the product of their collaboration is public, the public must weigh in and consensus found. I look forward to reflecting on what I learned, reviewing the nuance of maps and legislation and finding a workable solution for 2010, 2020 and beyond.

DILLON, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is continuing his wilderness listening tour in order to hear from the stakeholders about proposed wilderness legislation. Below are some the comments and ideas he heard at the public listening session in Dillon and various meetings in Southeastern Montana.

“In a state as diverse as Montana, it’s not surprising that there’s no single consensus on wilderness despite claims of universal support,” said Rehberg. “While everyone has been very cordial, I’ve heard from folks on every side of this important issue. Their ideas should help shape how this bill moves forward.”

• Beaverhead County Commissioners questioned the use of road density for prioritizing stewardship activities, suggesting instead that the rate of dead trees within a given management area should serve as the primary component for prioritizing stewardship projects.
• A representative of the Montana Woolgrowers Association asked that “hard release” language be added to the bill in order to end the management of de-facto wilderness in places like Montana’s seven Wilderness Study Areas.
• A representative of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation raised concerns over the allowance of certain activities versus the permitting of others. Grazing and access to water structures, he said, would be permissible, not specifically allowed, and clarifications are needed to prevent agency interpretation of what such permits constitute.
• When addressing fears of litigation preventing timber harvests included in the bill, some warned that the inclusion of litigation reform would likely generate more litigation and that although the bill does nothing to prevent lawsuits, some think judges will be more receptive to the agreed upon language.
• A retired forester in support of the bill expressed dissatisfaction with his former job, since lawsuits often prevented him from carrying out the plans formulated within his agency.

ENNIS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is continuing his wilderness listening tour in order to hear from the stakeholders about proposed wilderness legislation. Below are some the comments and ideas he heard at the public listening session in Ennis and various meetings in Southeastern Montana.

“My goal is to listen to anyone who has something to say about how our land and our resources are managed,” said Rehberg. “What I learn will guide me in my efforts to ensure that any bill Congress passes strikes a fair balance. It’s not about finding reasons to say no; it’s about making changes that will allow everyone to say yes.”

• John Schuyler with KBEV-FM and KDBM-AM suggested an incremental approach to the creation of new wilderness that creates benchmark targets over a period of time. Each parcel of new wilderness would be created once a certain number of acres were logged, or a certain number of jobs created.
• Mark Petroni, a former forest ranger in the area disagreed with the testimony of the Forest Service at the Senate hearing for Senator Tester’s legislation. In that testimony the Undersecretary said mandated harvests were unachievable. Petroni said the stewardship projects could be set, and foresters in the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge would be excited to prioritize these projects at the local level. He said the Undersecretary is a political appointee who “has never stepped foot in the forest.”
• A bicycle enthusiast spoke in favor of legislation that addressed his concerns about how the various boundaries are drawn. Bicycle trails are most often made on natural boundaries – ridges, streams, drainages – while the bill’s boundaries follow artificial boundaries. This means that an existing bike trail may weave in and out of a wilderness area many times, subjecting the rider to fines that could reach $1,000.
• A rancher expressed concern that proposed wilderness boundaries don’t account for existing man-made structures critical to ranching and farming activities, including pipelines, and stock tanks and motorized access to those structures.

Includes five public listening sessions: Ennis, Dillon, Butte, Philipsburg, Deer Lodge

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, will be in Western Montana from January 4-8 to hold public listening sessions on Senator Jon Tester’s wilderness proposal being considered in Congress.

“Before Congress decides how this land should be managed, it’s important to give a voice to the folks who work, hunt, fish, hike, camp and enjoy this land,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus and the House Appropriations Committee.  “That means public meetings with an open mic where anyone can come and ask questions.”

Rehberg has scheduled five listening sessions, which will be held in counties impacted by the proposed legislation.  All meetings are open to the public for comments and questions.

They are:

Madison County – Ennis
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 10 AM
Madison Valley Rural Fire Station 1
537 US HWY 287

Beaverhead County – Dillon
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 12:30 PM
University of Montana Western, Auditorium Main Hall
710 South Atlantic

Butte-Silver Bow County – Butte
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Montana Tech – SUB Copper Lounge
1300 West Park Street

Granite County – Philipsburg
Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 2:30 PM
Taylor-Knapp Building, Sapphire Gallery, Banquet Room
212 E. Broadway

Powell County – Deer Lodge
Friday, January 8, 2010 at 10 AM
William K. Kohrs Library, Meeting Room
501 Missouri Avenue

In 2009, Rehberg held 36 listening sessions on a broad range of issues from energy policy to health care reform.  At each, he invited the public through press releases, his website and various forms of social media, and then answered their questions and listened to comments from Montanans.

“As Montanans, the land we live on is our most valuable resource,” said Rehberg.  “The question isn’t whether it’s worth protecting, but how we can best do that.  The one-size fits all approach of federal management doesn’t always work, and I want to listen to the folks on the ground before deciding whether I can support any proposal to expand wilderness.”

BILLINGS, MT. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is inviting area residents to share their thoughts during a series of public listening sessions to be held in Madison and Broadwater Counties on Tuesday, November 24, and in Powell and Deer Lodge Counties on Wednesday, November 25.

“I visit each of Montana’s 56 counties every congressional term so I can hear directly from Montanans.  I encourage everyone to join me to discuss the important issues facing Montana and the nation,” said Rehberg, a Montana rancher and member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “These public listening sessions are geared toward exchanging ideas and gathering input that I take to Washington D.C.  I’m looking forward to my visits.”  Rehberg has held eighteen public listening sessions around the state since the beginning of summer.

Congressman Denny Rehberg Public Listening Sessions

Tuesday, November 24

Ennis – 10:00 a.m.
Madison Valley Rural Fire Station #1
537 U.S. Hwy. 287

Townsend – 2:30 p.m.
Broadwater County High School, Community Room
201 N. Spruce

Wednesday, November 25

Deer Lodge – 10:30 a.m.
William K. Kohrs Memorial Library, Meeting Room
501 Missouri Avenue

 Anaconda – 1:30 p.m.
Community Service Center, Conference Room #1
118 East 7th Street