Tester calls on Interior Dept. to fully implement his job-creating energy plan Tester calls on Interior Dept. to fully implement his job-creating energy plan Tester calls on Interior Dept. to fully implement his job-creating energy plan

Senator applauds department’s ‘first step’, urges more to be done

 

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester is calling on the U.S. Interior Department to fully implement his bipartisan blueprint to bring more renewable energy jobs to Montana.

 

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management recently announced that it will allow energy developers to increase wind and solar energy projects on public lands.  The announcement follows the introduction of Tester’s bipartisan bill in November that lays out a clear path allowing developers to competitively bid to build responsible, renewable energy projects on public lands.

 

Tester recently told Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that the department’s announcement is a good “first step” to growing the nation’s renewable energy sector and creating jobs.

 

“Renewable energy development is expanding across the United States and public lands will be critical to its success,” Tester wrote Salazar.  “I believe it is critically important to reinvest the receipts for wind and solar energy back into the communities and ecosystems which are impacted.”

 

Tester’s bipartisan Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act would allow states to share in the revenue to protect wildlife and access to public lands.  It is cosponsored by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.). 

 

Sportsmen’s organizations and the non-partisan fiscal watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense support Tester’s bill.

 

Tester, a strong supporter of responsible renewable and conventional energy development, recently told Senate leaders to extend the wind energy tax credit that will strengthen Montana’s growing wind industry.

 

Tester’s letter to Interior Secretary Salazar is available below and online HERE.

 

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March 2, 2012

 

The Honorable Ken Salazar

Secretary of the Interior

1849 C Street, N.W.

Washington DC 20240

 

Dear Secretary Salazar:        

 

I write you to support the Bureau of Land Management’s recent proposed rulemaking for competitive leasing for wind and solar energy production on public lands:  Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding a Competitive Process for Leasing Public Lands for Solar and Wind Energy Development.

 

Renewable energy development is expanding across the United States and public lands will be critical to its success.  The Energy Policy Act of 2005 set a goal of developing 10,000 MW of renewable energy on public lands by 2015.  With some of the best renewable energy development sites located on public land, it is critically important to meet the twin goals of expanding renewable energy while conserving limited and sensitive natural resources. To reach that end the administration must develop a clear and straightforward process of permitting and developing renewable energy.

 

As the lead sponsor of S. 1775, Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011, I am encouraged that some of the fundamental concepts in my bill are included in BLM’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and were mentioned in the President’s State of the Union address.  I urge you to use S. 1775 as a model, while acknowledging competitive leasing is just one component in a comprehensive package to guide and manage renewable energy development.  Leasing public lands for renewable energy will affect multiple agencies and require discussions about revenues, avoidance, mitigation and additional legal tools. 

 

Though I believe that it is important to begin competitive leasing and incorporate adequate mitigation on BLM lands, I do not believe our work ends there.  As S.1775 demonstrates, I believe it is critically important to reinvest the receipts for wind and solar development on public lands back into the communities and ecosystems which are impacted.  I also believe the only way to increase development of renewable energy on public land is to streamline the permitting process through reinvesting funds into the development of later projects which is why S. 1775 directs 15% of receipts towards permitting, so permits and environmental studies from state and federal agencies are coordinated and addressed in a timely fashion. 

 

Competitive leasing will occur on a swath of public lands, from BLM to the Forest Service.  The Administration should design rules that are similar, if not identical, for leasing on Forest Service lands like BLM lands.  And the agencies must continue to identify resource potential while mitigating impacts through a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on wind and solar for the Forest Service, as directed in S. 1775.  Given that the Defense Department already has invested considerable effort in developing renewable energy on Defense reservations, I encourage you to work with your counterparts there as well to ensure a streamlined process.

 

I applaud your first step of working towards a competitive leasing process and hope you will continue to inform your regulations with input from all sides and use our legislative text as a guide for balanced, successful and streamlined leasing.

 

Thank you for your consideration.

 

Sincerely,

(s)

Jon Tester

 

 

CC:      Marcilynn Burke, Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management

Bob Abbey, Director, Bureau of Land Management

Steve Black, Counselor to the Secretary 

Neil Kornze, Acting Deputy Director for Programs and Policy

Ray Brady, Renewable Energy Policy Team

USDA takes Tester’s advice, makes beef checkoff change

 Senator pushed for change giving Montana ranchers more control of checkoff dollars

 

(U.S. SENATE) – Responding to pressure from Senator Jon Tester, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will consider allowing Montana ranchers more control over their beef checkoff dollars.

 

Beef checkoff dollars promote beef through a $1 fee that producers pay on each head of cattle sold.  The money supports marketing initiatives like the “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner” campaign.

 

Previously only organizations established before 1985 could compete to manage ranchers’ checkoff dollars, a restriction that Tester says “led to a lack of representation” among beef industry groups.

 

Tester introduced legislation in 2008 requiring the change that the USDA is now considering.  In a letter, Tester praised the USDA for moving forward and allowing the beef industry more say in how it researches and promotes beef.

 

“The beef industry has changed considerably since the checkoff was instituted in 1985, and thousands of ranchers now belong to national groups organized in the decades since,” Tester wrote David Simpson, head of the Agriculture Marketing Service.  “Allowing newer organizations to fully participate will benefit producers, the checkoff, and the industry.”

 

“Senator Tester has been a strong advocate for U.S. cattle producers and an important partner for the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association as we have worked to enhance beef checkoff,” said Jon Wooster, President of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association.   “Lifting restrictions that limit the number of organizations eligible to conduct checkoff-funded work opens the door for fresh, new ideas about promoting beef.”  

 

Only the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association met the 1985 requirement. 

 

Tester called on all Montanans interested in the issue to comment by May 1.

 

Tester’s Beef Checkoff Modernization Act, first introduced in 2008, also required that 30 percent of checkoff marketing promote beef from cattle exclusively born and raised in the United States.  It is available online HERE. 

 

Tester’s letter to David Simpson, Acting Administrator of the Agriculture Marketing Service, which is a branch of the USDA, is available below and online HERE. 

 

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March 5, 2012

 

The Honorable David R. Shipman  

Acting Administrator

Agricultural Marketing Service

United Stated Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave. SW

Washington D.C., 20250

 

Dear Acting Administrator Shipman,

 

I am writing in response to the Agricultural Marketing Service’s announcement today that the agency is proposing an expansion of contracting authority for the beef checkoff. I applaud this long awaited step that will give producers greater control over their checkoff dollars. I have advocated for increasing the breadth of organizations eligible to compete for checkoff contracts since 2008, when I introduced the Beef Checkoff Modernization Act. That bill, like the agency’s new proposal, would have eliminated the requirement that only producer organizations in operation since 1985 may compete for checkoff contracts.

 

The beef industry has changed considerably since the checkoff was instituted in 1985, and thousands of ranchers now belong to national groups organized in the decades since. However, the checkoff rules have always restricted promotion contracts to “established national non-profit industry-governed organizations” that have been in place since before the checkoff was implemented. In practice, this has meant that all of these organizations which were established since 1985 have been excluded. This has led to a lack of representation of the variety of industry voices in the management of the checkoff. Allowing newer organizations to fully participate will benefit producers, the checkoff, and the industry as a whole.

 

I appreciate this movement by the agency, and I look forward to working with you to further improve the beef checkoff.

 

Sincerely,

(s)

Jon Tester

United States Senator

FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE BRAD JOHNSON FILES FOR RE-ELECTION

 

Brad Johnson officially files to seek re-election to a second term as Montana’s Secretary of State. 

 

HELENA, Mont., — Former Secretary of State, Brad Johnson officially filed for re-election in the Secretary of State race. Johnson, who held the office from 2005 to 2009 notes experience.

 

“We accomplished a great deal in the first term, but there is much work still to be done and I remain absolutely committed to completing that task,” said Johnson. “There’s no learning curve. On day one I will begin working to regain the momentum we established in my first term, and will work to bring the Secretary’s office into the next level in keeping up, and setting the pace for the office in the 21^st century.”

 

Johnson cited his long standing and steadfast support of responsible resource development on the Land Board, first in the nation implementation of the Help America Vote Act and award winning modernization of office procedures as hallmarks of his first term.

 

Looking toward a second term, Johnson has set major priorities that include: strengthening the enforcement of existing election laws, repealing Election Day registration, passing legislation to require voters to present a government issued photo ID when voting and preserving traditional in-person voting at the polling place instead of forcing every Montanan to vote by mail ballot. In addition, he said that he will continue to fight for more aggressive and responsible development of Montana’s natural resources by the Land Board. In addition, he promises renew efforts to bring and keep the office on the cutting edge of technology . 

 

“This incumbent strongly opposes common sense proposals to further enhance the integrity of Montana’s elections and has completely dropped the ball with regard to further modernization of process and technological advancement in the office,” said Johnson. “It is critical that we recapture lost momentum in those areas.”

 

“I have traveled the state extensively in the last few months, and I can tell you first-hand that these are ideas that are enthusiastically embraced by a vast majority of Montanans,” said Johnson. “I truly look forward to serving the people of Montana during my second term as their Secretary of State.”

 

Brad will be available to answer questions on the front steps of the Capitol immediately after filing with the Secretary of State at 11:00AM Tuesday, March 6.  

 

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Rehberg, Marbut Comment on Montana’s Right to Keep & Bear Arms Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg,  today joined Montana Shooting Sports Association president Gary Marbut in heralding the beginning of Montana’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Week.  Montana law stipulates: “Observance of right to keep and bear arms. The week beginning the first Monday in March is an official week of observance to commemorate Montana’s valued heritage of the right of each person to keep and bear arms in the defense of his home, person, or property or in aid of civil power. During this week, all Montanans are urged to reflect on their right to keep and bear arms and to celebrate this right in lawful ways.”

Rehberg, fifth generation Montanan released the following statement:

“The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a foundational part of Montana’s culture, and a key part of our liberty.  This is why our Founding Fathers carved an explicit protection for our right to keep and bear arms into the Bill of Rights.  But these rights don’t come from the government, although it is incumbent upon government to recognize them.  The Bill of Rights is not an inventory of things for the government to do for us, but a list of things the government cannot do to us.  As Montana’s Congressman, it’s my job to make sure the government never forgets that its power is limited.”

Marbut released the following statement:

“As we have seen from the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Heller and McDonald decisions, the right to keep or bear arms is a fundamental right, pre-existing the Constitution, that the people have reserved to themselves from government interference – here government may not tread.  The people of Montana both understand and appreciate the right to keep or bear arms, which is definitely something to celebrate.

When the various courts ponder what government incursions may be allowed into this cherished right, our answer is always that it “shall not be infringed” (US Constitution) and it “shall not be called in question.” (Montana Constitution)  We assert that this language is the strongest form of prohibition the drafters could articulate using acceptably polite words.”

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More campaign finance hypocrisy from Sen. Jon Tester….

Good afternoon, folks—

As you may have noticed, Senator Jon Tester has been trying awfully hard to turn reporters’ and voters’ attention away from big issues like jobs and the economy, and focus this race instead on campaign finance.  Tester and his team have been expending a great deal of time and effort decrying “unaccountable” outside spending and influence in Montana’s U.S. Senate race — in op-eds, campaign emails, interviews, and a substantial internet ad campaign…

While it’s no surprise that Tester would prefer to talk about anything other than his record of 95 percent support for President Barack Obama’s unpopular agenda in Washington, it’s worth pointing out that even on this issue of his own choosing — campaign finance — Tester’s credibility is strained at best, because his words and deeds don’t even come close to matching up…

The most recent example of Tester’s campaign finance hypocrisy is that, while he decries the influence of third-party ads run by PACs, Tester is actively soliciting that same type of support from liberal PACs, and he’s even doing it through the news media.  As Roll Call reports today:

…[M]any House and Senate candidates who publicly decry super PACs are benefiting from the outside groups that back them… “Montana is a state that takes great pride in transparency in government, and this just goes against that,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)… Rehberg’s campaign countered that Tester’s allies, including labor, environmental and women’s groups, have spent more than $1 million in the race. Rehberg proposed that he and Tester refund all donations from political action committees and lobbyists and raise money only in Montana. Tester, who relies heavily on lobbyist donations, said that would leave him no way to respond to third-party attacks. But he also told Roll Call that he would welcome outside spenders who backed him: “I’m hoping that there are some PACs out there that will support me.”

Meanwhile, even Tester’s own campaign is having a tough time making sense of his hypocritical posture on this issue.  Just look at the rhetorical gymnastics Tester’s campaign is forced to go through in this interview with the Havre Daily News just days ago.  Note how, when confronted with inconvenient facts, Tester’s campaign is forced to awkwardly try to pick and choose between which anonymously-funded third-party ads are acceptable or not, while at the same time struggling to defend Tester’s own corporate allies in the banking industry running ads on his behalf:

Rehberg’s campaign responds by calling [Tester's web ads attacking third-party spending] “hypocritical,” saying Tester has benefited with more than $1 million in spending by third-party groups, and citing an offer Rehberg made for both candidates to return all out-of-state money contributed to their campaigns… Tester’s campaign spokesman Aaron Murphy said this morning that he disputes those figures, and that he believes the Rehberg campaign is including every advertisement that mentions Tester or Rehberg, rather than looking at television ads that specifically attack or support their candidacy… Background information provided by Bond said part of the hypocrisy is Tester benefiting from more than $330,000 in advertising by the Electronic Payments Coalition, “rewarding Tester for carrying their swipe fee legislation in the Senate. ”  Murphy said ads from a banking organization thanking Tester for helping their cause does not compare to Crossroads GPS or the U. S. Chamber running attack ads against him.

It’s remarkable to see Team Tester struggle to make any sense at all on what they seem to believe is a good issue for them…

As a reminder, this all comes just weeks after Tester hypocritically rejected Denny Rehberg’s offer to remove all outside spending and influence from Montana’s U.S. Senate race, because Tester refuses to part with the huge sum of money he has taken from lobbyists and out-of-state special interests.  In fact, even as he continues to decry special interests, Tester has taken more lobbyist campaign cash during this election cycle than any of the other 534 members of Congress.  Hypocritically, Tester ran for Senate in 2006 on a promise that he would provide Montana with representation “not encumbered by high-dollared lobbyists,” and promised, “I won’t sell Montana down the road by cutting deals with K Street lobbyists.”  Sadly, Tester has falsely denied his #1 lobbyist money ranking before, so linked here is a non-partisan report establishing that fact, just in case you need to remind him of the truth…

An investigative report published just days ago by Politico helps shed some light on how Tester became the #1 recipient of lobbyist campaign cash in Congress, as the publication pulled back the curtain on a pattern of unethical strong-arm fundraising tactics by Senator Tester’s lobbyist allies and the Baucus “operation” on Tester’s behalf.  New York Magazine is calling the tactics part of “a political bribery transaction.”

Given the facts, it would be understandable for reporters and the public to be left scratching their heads, asking themselves — what does it say about Senator Tester’s re-election campaign when he’s not even particularly credible on the issue he and his team are attempting to make the focus of this race?

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Chris Bond
Communications Director
Montanans for Rehberg
cbond@dennyrehberg.com
406-852-3113

Tester hails new Helena-Billings flights

Senator pushed new connection to spur economic development and create jobs

 

(U.S. SENATE) – Following Senator Jon Tester’s request to increase flights to eastern Montana, Silver Airways’ recently announced that it would begin connecting Helena and Billings in May.

 

Tester recently called on Silver Airways to offer more flights between western Montana and eastern Montana to support economic growth and help Montanans move around the Treasure State. 

 

Tester praised Silver Airways, formerly known as Gulfstream International Airlines, for stepping forward for Montana’s small businesses and helping to create jobs.

 

“Bringing Montanans closer together is vital to spurring the Big Sky State’s economy and creating jobs,” Tester said.  “Making it easier to reach eastern Montana will increase access and provide folks with needed services.  I appreciate Silver recognizing this opportunity and look forward to working with other businesses looking to invest in Montana.”

 

Silver Airways will operate two flights per day between Helena and Billings.  There are currently no direct flights between the two cities, Montana’s capital and its largest city.

 

The move will allow Helena residents to travel by air to cities in the Bakken region, as well as create additional opportunities to catch connections to Denver and Minneapolis – cities currently accessible from Helena only once per day.

 

Tester consistently pushes increased air service as a way to grow Montana’s economy.  In addition to calling for more flights to eastern Montana, he recently applauded Allegiant Air for announcing new direct flights from Montana to Oakland, Calif. and successfully fought against burdensome new taxes and regulations on general aviation.

 

Earlier this year, Tester also announced that SkyWest Airlines would service Bert Mooney Airport through the Essential Air Service, after he worked to make the initiative available for communities like Butte.

 

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