Rehberg, Tester letters on S. 1470

Following are letters between Rep. Denny Rehberg and Sen. Jon Tester on the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act. The first letter is a response from Rep. Rehberg to Sen. Tester, followed by the original letter that extended an invitation to discuss the bill. — Ed.

Letter: Rep. Rehberg to Sen. Tester on Jan. 21

Dear Sen. Tester,

Thank you for your letter of Jan. 15, and for your patience in receiving my response. In fairness to all whose opinions I have heard, I wanted to complete my Jan. 16 listening session in Lincoln County before responding. Libby was my 22nd public meeting on your wilderness bill.  I’ve heard from hundreds of Montanans on every aspect of your legislation.  It’s important to me that each of their opinions is given due consideration.

As you have likely read in the various press accounts of my public meetings, Montanans have some reasonable and thoughtful concerns that deserve to be addressed. It’s our job to account for those concerns.

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. I therefore propose that before you and I sit down, we put the input we’ve received into the public forum for all to see.  I have a three-step approach which I believe is the best way for us to work together to provide the transparency Montanans expect and deserve.

First, because I took questions during my listening sessions, many of the questions and comments I received have already been reported in the corresponding press coverage. However, many comments weren’t reported by the media, which is why I’m currently working to post each comment on my website for all Montanans to see. We undoubtedly have heard a lot of the same ideas, and it would be helpful for our meeting to see the scope of comments you have already heard in order to focus on those that may be new to you. I therefore ask you to join me in posting summaries of each of the comments you heard at your public meetings.

Second, according to your online schedule, you hosted six “open houses” to discuss your wilderness bill between July 18 and Nov. 12. These meetings occurred after you had already written and introduced your bill on July 17, so the current version posted on your website – which is exactly the same as the version you introduced on July 17 – couldn’t possibly contain any of the changes that were suggested at your later “open house” meetings.

Since it’s been two months since your most recent “open house,” you’ve had plenty of time to make changes based on what you learned in Montana. I would appreciate a copy of your most recent legislative draft, which incorporates the comments and suggestions you have received, so we can ensure we’re both working from the same starting point.

Third, if there’s one thing I’ve heard crystal clear at the 42 listening sessions I’ve hosted since last year, it’s that Montanans don’t like the sort of secret back room deals we’re currently seeing in the health-care debate. I therefore suggest that instead of a private meeting in your Senate office, it would be more appropriate to meet in Montana, in full view of Montanans and the press. Let’s do this right by doing it in the light of day.

As I have said at each of my meetings, I appreciate your efforts to get this important ball rolling. Together, I think we can find a way to forge a consensus-based solution when it comes to stewardship of our forests.  Ultimately, I think we can both agree that this approach is most likely to result in a policy that’s good for all Montanans.

Sincerely,

Congressman Denny Rehberg

Letter: Sen. Tester to Rep. Rehberg on Jan. 15

Dear Denny:

I’d like to invite you to my Senate office in the next week or so to compare notes on the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

I wanted to extend this invitation in person, which is why I tried calling you yesterday. I hope you and I can schedule a meeting soon because as you’ve mentioned, doing nothing about our forests is not the answer. And Montana jobs are at stake.

I appreciate you taking an interest in the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, and I appreciate you holding listening sessions across Montana over the past few days. As you know, I hosted a number of public listening sessions and meetings for input and feedback on the bill this past year. Like your events, they were well attended, and I heard many different opinions on the legislation.

Now that we each have feedback on the bill, I think it would serve Montanans well for us to discuss the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Jon