Rehberg at MWGA Convention

Congressman Denny Rehberg

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Congressman Denny Rehberg, Montana's sole voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, addressed the Montana wool growers with his characteristic vivacity during the association's Saturday session. Rehberg came down hard on the federal government for its failed policies. Concerning the Endangered Species Act, Rehberg explained, "It's not that we can't sustain a little bit of loss for a failed federal program; it's that there shouldn't be a failed federal program." Rehberg has been working to pass reforms to the Endangered Species Act with the rationalization, "You don't have the phrase 'shoot, shovel, and shut up' if [the policy] works."

The Estate Tax remains a priority for the congressman as well. The fight, he maintained, is not between democrats and republicans. In Washington D.C., the discrepancy is between 'urban' and 'rural.' The urban populous is uneducated about the impact the estate tax has on farmers and ranchers. Rehberg and Senator Max Baucus are working together on the estate tax in hopes of reducing its impact in 2011. (Rehberg predicted that the largest tax increase in the history of the country will happen in January of 2011, after the 2001 Tax Relief package sunsets). Furthermore, Rehberg warned against accepting "tax relief" that allows higher taxes than existed before the sunset of former legislation.

Rehberg insisted that the federal government needs to focus on spending reform, tax reform, and health reform in that order. The president, he stated, is "so hell-bent on pushing something he based his presidency on" that he is not looking to resolve the problem of costs before he begins spending. There is a lack of innovation at the national level that is being bypassed by an increase in the size and spending of government.

A questioner brought up Tester's Wilderness Bill. Rehberg explained that he started working with the wilderness issue in 1979. He insisted that in order to protect agriculture, three standards MUST be in any wilderness bill:

1. There must be a "hard release," which clearly states that if certain lands are to be declared wilderness, all other lands will be exempt from the status now and in the future.


2. Timber sales must never be prohibited or restricted. Rehberg explained that currently appeals can prolong litigation so far into a three year logging contract that by the time the conflict is resolved, the remaining time in the contract is inadequate to harvest enough lumber to cover costs.


3. Water rights must never be compromised. The Clean Water and Restoration Act is just one piece of legislation forcing losses of water rights

Rehberg encouraged his audience to be proactive about protecting the rights of agriculture and invited them to visit his Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on his activities.